The Pavilion was the highlight of OFAN's activities in Beijing, presenting a plethora of visual and vision-making, interactive, educational and entertaining activities howing how science and technology impacts on almost every aspect of our lives. One hundred and twenty one activities were presented by over fify organisations, in building M17-2 at the NGO Forum.
These activities took the form of:
An estimated 4000 people visited the Pavilion over the 10-day period of the NGO Forum, including the OFAN panel discussions scheduled by the Forum. Visitors represented different parts of the world and ranged from youth groups to grassroots women, to the media, to members of government delegations. Among the dignitaries who visited the Pavilion were the Overseas Development Ministor for the UK, the Jamaican Minister of Social Welfare and Urban Affairs (with responsibility for Women's Affairs), the Australian Minister for Development, a delegation from the European Economic Commission, the Director of UNIFEM, and a delegation led by the Chairperson of the China Organising Committee. Several representatives from donor agencies who sponsored the Pavilion alsoattended, such as the EEC WIDE Fund for Beijing, the Global Fund for Women, UNIFEM, UNIDO and UNESCO.
One of the highlights of the Pavilion was a UNESCO film production which covered every aspect of events in the Pavilion, and included interviews with facilitators of the various activities. Visiting scientists to the Pavilion were also interviewed about their perspectives on women in science and technology. This 30 minute video will be used as an advocacy and training tool in the UNESCO Women, Science and Technology programme.
The Pavilion was opened by Jayshree Mehta, Vice President of GASAT , and chaired by the OFAN Programme Coordinator, Josephine Beoku-Betts. Jayshree Mehta opened her address by asking the question, what is science? She challenged the assumption that science is a neutral and objective discipline and stated that it is socially constructed and constantly changing. She pointed to the fact that science and technology are major tools for overcoming the barriers of underdevelopment; and that non-formal and informal education relevant to people's needs and aspirations have an important role to play in developing scientific and technological literacy in the coming century.
The OFAN closing ceremony took the form of a symposium on "Women's Empowerment through Science and Technology," organised by Approtech Asia and Intermediate Technology Development Group. The symposium was divided into three sessions, with an overview of the subject presented by Jayshree Mehta. The three sessions covered: 1) Key Issues Affecting Women in Science and Technology, 2) Solutions - Challenging Current Scientific Paradigms, 3) The Future. Member organisations which made presentations were: Intermediate Technology; Gender, Science and Technology programme of IFIAS; Approtech Asia; American Asociation for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); World Women's Veterinary Association (WWVA); UNIFEM; the International Women's Trbiune Centre; and the OFAN Coordinator.
In her presentation, Jayshree Mehta discussed the importance of achieving scientific and technological literacy among all nations and societies and the role of the science communicatgor in the development of scientific attitudes in society. She stated that scientific and technological literacy cannot be designed in terms of the prescribed content of information or skills. It is life-related literacy covering all people from various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds and should be pproached from this context. She emphasised the need to build a local, regional, national and international network among science centres and science museums around the world. The establishment of such a network would facilitate the free exchange of data, information and development of training programmes.