Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South
Encyclopedia
The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) is an intergovernmental organization based in Islamabad
, Pakistan
. The commission, founded in 1994, hopes to achieve sustainable development
in developing countries through the use of science and technology. COMSATS has 21 member countries in three continents and funds 16 educational institutions, including Pakistan's COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
(CIIT). The current executive director of COMSATS is Imtinan Elahi Qureshi, who succeeded Hameed Ahmed Khan.
Abdus Salam
and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and was officially formed on 4–5 October 1994. During that time, representatives from 36 countries met in Islamabad to discuss the establishment of COMSATS. Attendees of the meeting included various ministers, diplomats from Islamabad, and delegates from other organizations, such as UNESCO
and the World Bank
.
In 1996, Global One (an international collaboration between France Telecom
, Sprint Nextel
, and Deutsche Telekom
) announced a contract with COMSATS to provide Internet access across Pakistan, and the commission now operates COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), an Internet service provider
. In fall 1999, the organization began offering Internet access to residents of Gilgit
. In 2005, a telehealth
project initiated by COMSATS went into effect, hoping to increase access to health education in northern Pakistan. The program was aided by the Baltistan
Health and Education Foundation as well as Canada's International Development Research Centre
.
In October 2010, during the fifth Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, COMSATS extended the possibility of membership to 43 additional Muslim nations.
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The commission, founded in 1994, hopes to achieve sustainable development
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
in developing countries through the use of science and technology. COMSATS has 21 member countries in three continents and funds 16 educational institutions, including Pakistan's COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology
COMSATS University of Science and Technology or CUST is a public sector university in Pakistan. It comes under the umbrella of Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South or COMSATS, an international inter-governmental organization.COMSATS Institute of...
(CIIT). The current executive director of COMSATS is Imtinan Elahi Qureshi, who succeeded Hameed Ahmed Khan.
History
The organization was conceived by Nobel laureateNobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and was officially formed on 4–5 October 1994. During that time, representatives from 36 countries met in Islamabad to discuss the establishment of COMSATS. Attendees of the meeting included various ministers, diplomats from Islamabad, and delegates from other organizations, such as UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and the World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
.
In 1996, Global One (an international collaboration between France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
, Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
, and Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
) announced a contract with COMSATS to provide Internet access across Pakistan, and the commission now operates COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), an Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
. In fall 1999, the organization began offering Internet access to residents of Gilgit
Gilgit
Gilgit is a city in northern PakistanGilgit may refer to other terms related with the area of the city:* Gilgit River* Gilgit Valley* Gilgit District* Gilgit Agency * Gilgit Airport...
. In 2005, a telehealth
Telehealth
Telehealth is the delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunications technologies. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as sophisticated as doing robotic surgery between facilities at different ends of the...
project initiated by COMSATS went into effect, hoping to increase access to health education in northern Pakistan. The program was aided by the Baltistan
Baltistan
Baltistan , also known as بلتیول བལིུལ་ in the Balti language, is a region in northern Pakistan which forms Gilgit-Baltistan, bordering the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. In addition, a part of Baltistan also falls into Jammu and Kashmir of India. It is situated in the Karakoram mountains...
Health and Education Foundation as well as Canada's International Development Research Centre
International Development Research Centre
The International Development Research Centre is a Canadian Crown Corporation created by the Parliament of Canada that supports research in developing countries to promote growth and development...
.
In October 2010, during the fifth Islamic Conference of Ministers of Higher Education and Scientific Research, COMSATS extended the possibility of membership to 43 additional Muslim nations.