| Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 4–5 October 1994 |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization |
| Headquarters | Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Membership | 21 countries from Asia, Africa and Latin America |
| Executive director | Imtinan Elahi Qureshi |
| Website | COMSATS |
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.[1] COMSATS has 21 member countries in three continents and funds 16 educational institutions,[2][3] including Pakistan's COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT).[4][5] The current executive director of COMSATS is Imtinan Elahi Qureshi,[2] who succeeded Hameed Ahmed Khan.[6]
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The organization was conceived by Nobel laureate 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.[7]
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,[8] and the commission now operates COMSATS Internet Services (CIS), an Internet service provider.[9] In fall 1999, the organization began offering Internet access to residents of Gilgit.[10] 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.[11]
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.[2]