The Executive Director COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria has called for prioritizing agriculture and food security in the future development strategy of the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), emphasizing a focus on areas that directly impact human lives.
ISLAMABAD, Oct 21 (APP):The Executive Director COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria has called for prioritizing agriculture and food security in the future development strategy of the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), emphasizing a focus on areas that directly impact human lives.
He made these remarks while participating in the 13th Meeting of the ANSO Governing Board, chaired by Prof. HE Hongping, President of ANSO and Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), according to a press release issued here on Wednesday.
Ambassador Zakaria has been serving as a member of the ANSO Governing Board since 2023. During the meeting, the board deliberated on the ANSO Progress Report 2026, membership dues, amendments to the statutes, new membership applications and priorities for the alliance’s future development.
The discussions also covered key ANSO initiatives, including the CAS-ANSO Scholarship, Fellowship and Conference Programme, Collaborative Research Programme, Co-funding Research Programme and ANSO Lecture Series.
While presenting its progress report, the ANSO Secretariat acknowledged COMSATS’ contributions, particularly the recently organized ANSO-COMSATS Conference on “Artificial Intelligence Enabled Solutions for Sustainable Water Governance, Security and Safety,” held in Islamabad in September 2026, and the ANSO-COMSATS-TWAS Conference on “A Sustainable Future for All Living Species on Planet Earth,” held in Islamabad in October 2026.
ANSO also highlighted its participation in COMSATS’ meetings and activities, including the recently held 26th COMSATS Coordinating Council Meeting in Indonesia.
Ambassador Zakaria actively contributed to discussions on ANSO’s future development strategy and priorities, particularly in the context of emerging technologies. He emphasized the need to prioritize agriculture and food security and focus on scientific initiatives and activities with a direct impact on people’s lives.
Highlighting the depth of COMSATS-ANSO collaboration, he cited the 11 terms of the ANSO-BIDI School, which have benefited more than 600 researchers and scientists from COMSATS member states.
He reaffirmed COMSATS’ readiness to contribute its institutional experience, network of Centres of Excellence, expertise and capabilities to strengthen cooperation with ANSO and jointly promote science, technology, innovation and inclusive development across the developing world.