1 July 2024: Dr. Lawrence Banks commenced his second mandate as Director-General while visiting ICGEB New Delhi. Here he talks about the way forward for the Organisation.
“A massive thank you to all of you who have sent me your good wishes for the start of my second mandate as ICGEB Director-General.”
It is a great honour to be able to continue the work that we have started, to make ICGEB the go-to Organisation for all things related to Development and Biotechnology. With an ever-growing list of Member countries, the importance and relevance of ICGEB’s activities increase with each passing year. Looking forward, our watchword remains just that – ensuring we are relevant for all our Member States.
First and foremost is creating sustainable nutrition, health, and wealth. ICGEB is making huge strides in all of these sectors. Enhancing local production capabilities for health and agriculture will directly improve the livelihoods of populations in our Member States, and nurture sustainable development locally.
In a world that continues to face massive challenges, science is a great leveler and an incredible means of achieving international cooperation and collaboration. Scientific Diplomacy brings countries together in a truly unique manner, using science to solve major global challenges.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to all of our Member States for being such wonderful supporters of ICGEB’s activities, and of course a special thank you goes to our three Host Countries, Italy, India and South Africa! ICGEB is also incredibly grateful to all the National and International funding agencies and other International Organisations for the wonderful collaborations and support, which ensures that the fruits of modern molecular biology and biotechnology can provide real benefits for people across the globe.
