Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, attended the forum and delivered a speech via a pre-record video
date：2023-12-21 17:12:31 hits：
The 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum successfully convened in Sanya, Hainan from December 6-8. Co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the UN Resident Coordinator Office in China, and jointly organized by the People’s Government of Sanya City, the China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development, and the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Women’s Forum. Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, attended the forum and delivered a speech via a pre-record video.
Hello, my name is Michael Houghton, and I work currently at the University of Alberta in Canada. I grew up in England and trained in England, and then in 1982 my wife and my young son emigrated to the United States, and that is where my colleagues and I discovered the hepatitis C virus. In 2010 I then moved from the United States to work in Canada at the University of Alberta. So I've travelled all around the world, I've been to China many times, and Africa, and I think we are all in friendship, as the purpose of your meeting indicates, and together both men and women can achieve a wonderful future by working together. And it is a great pleasure to be introducing myself as part of the fifth Belts and Roads Women's Meeting. I wish you every success. As a medical researcher, I feel that we are at the most exciting time ever in the history of medical research. Our lifespans have increased steadily and enormously over the last century, although we have all seen with pandemics like the COVID pandemic how this can be impacted from pathogens like respiratory RNA viruses. All countries of the world need to work together to be better prepared for future pandemics. They are sure to come. We've had so many in the recent past. We've had the emergence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV. We've seen a lot of flaviviral pandemics as people live more and more in contact with nature and in areas which are highly vegetated with mosquitoes. And of course, we've now experienced the terrible COVID pandemic. And so history tells us that viruses are always attacking us. As humans, we are very vulnerable, so are other animals, and we need to be better prepared. I think by working together and using our rapidly evolving technologies. I started in science 50 years ago when our technologies, our methodologies, were very primitive. And so it's been amazing to me in the last 50 years to see how sophisticated our knowledge and our technology has become. And this is increasing exponentially. This is not on a linear increase graph. Our technologies are growing incredibly quickly. And I think we have the power within our grasp to really solve disease, most human disease, well before the end of this century. Apart from infectious disease pandemics, the human race suffers from many severe diseases like different forms of cancer. Alzheimer's disease is becoming a growing issue as our lifespans increase and we become more susceptible to Alzheimer's. Plus, we have many different types of inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis, arthrolateral sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, that we really, right now, we don't have the answers to. But I think with our rapidly evolving scientific technologies, we will be able to conquer these diseases. And of course, mental health is a growing concern around the world. In today's world, people live complex lives. There's more competition for our children and what we don't want is them becoming mentally ill in some way as a result of that situation. So, every person born today deserves to live a long and healthy life. And I believe by working together across borders, around the world, and applying our powerful new technologies, we can end most serious disease well before the end of this century. Then it will become common for people to live healthily and in happiness to 100 years of age. In turn, that means we have to work together to make sure the world has enough resources to live longer. That includes clean air, clean water, safe food for a growing human population that is getting older. And at the same time, we have to respect the animal and the plant life around us. We all immediately respond to the beauty of our world, be it tall mountains, be it forests, be it beautiful lakes and rivers. This is part of being human to appreciate natural beauty. So, as we get older, as we live longer, we have to make sure we can sustain ourselves, but also respect the environment around us. Life would be very dull if we didn't have beautiful animals, beautiful forests and plants to share it with. I think by working across borders in friendship, I believe the human race can achieve and will achieve this exciting future. All of this will be accomplished with women playing crucial, essential roles at many different levels, which is why it's a pleasure for me to be talking to you briefly at your fifth Belts and Roads women's meeting. And I really sincerely wish you every success in making the future a great one for women and men. Thank you so much and my best wishes to you all.
The theme of the forum, ‘She Power: Jointly Building and Sharing a Beautiful Life,’ reflects a focus on women’s unique contributions and empowerment within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the All-China Youth Federation, along with the People’s Government of Sanya City leadership, the forum brought together over 400 participants. These included the First Lady of Guyana, representatives from the United Nations, Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine, and ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Maldives, Switzerland, Nepal, Guyana, Uganda, Mozambique, and various other countries, along with national and international business representatives.
During the forum, in-depth discussions and exchanges took place around the theme. Guests shared insights on the distinctive role played by women in the ten years since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. They highlighted the substantial achievements of women and looked forward to the future of the initiative, advocating for women’s empowerment to foster common development and prosperity in human society.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, the Belt and Road Women’s Forum has been instrumental in showcasing the unique role of women in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting comprehensive and sustainable development for women, and enhancing people-to-people connections among the participating countries. The forum has successfully established a platform for communication and collaboration among women across the Belt and Road countries, building bridges for mutual understanding and cooperation.
Michael Houghton, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, attended the forum and delivered a speech via a pre-record video
Hello, my name is Michael Houghton, and I work currently at the University of Alberta in Canada. I grew up in England and trained in England, and then in 1982 my wife and my young son emigrated to the United States, and that is where my colleagues and I discovered the hepatitis C virus. In 2010 I then moved from the United States to work in Canada at the University of Alberta. So I've travelled all around the world, I've been to China many times, and Africa, and I think we are all in friendship, as the purpose of your meeting indicates, and together both men and women can achieve a wonderful future by working together. And it is a great pleasure to be introducing myself as part of the fifth Belts and Roads Women's Meeting. I wish you every success. As a medical researcher, I feel that we are at the most exciting time ever in the history of medical research. Our lifespans have increased steadily and enormously over the last century, although we have all seen with pandemics like the COVID pandemic how this can be impacted from pathogens like respiratory RNA viruses. All countries of the world need to work together to be better prepared for future pandemics. They are sure to come. We've had so many in the recent past. We've had the emergence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV. We've seen a lot of flaviviral pandemics as people live more and more in contact with nature and in areas which are highly vegetated with mosquitoes. And of course, we've now experienced the terrible COVID pandemic. And so history tells us that viruses are always attacking us. As humans, we are very vulnerable, so are other animals, and we need to be better prepared. I think by working together and using our rapidly evolving technologies. I started in science 50 years ago when our technologies, our methodologies, were very primitive. And so it's been amazing to me in the last 50 years to see how sophisticated our knowledge and our technology has become. And this is increasing exponentially. This is not on a linear increase graph. Our technologies are growing incredibly quickly. And I think we have the power within our grasp to really solve disease, most human disease, well before the end of this century. Apart from infectious disease pandemics, the human race suffers from many severe diseases like different forms of cancer. Alzheimer's disease is becoming a growing issue as our lifespans increase and we become more susceptible to Alzheimer's. Plus, we have many different types of inflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis, arthrolateral sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, that we really, right now, we don't have the answers to. But I think with our rapidly evolving scientific technologies, we will be able to conquer these diseases. And of course, mental health is a growing concern around the world. In today's world, people live complex lives. There's more competition for our children and what we don't want is them becoming mentally ill in some way as a result of that situation. So, every person born today deserves to live a long and healthy life. And I believe by working together across borders, around the world, and applying our powerful new technologies, we can end most serious disease well before the end of this century. Then it will become common for people to live healthily and in happiness to 100 years of age. In turn, that means we have to work together to make sure the world has enough resources to live longer. That includes clean air, clean water, safe food for a growing human population that is getting older. And at the same time, we have to respect the animal and the plant life around us. We all immediately respond to the beauty of our world, be it tall mountains, be it forests, be it beautiful lakes and rivers. This is part of being human to appreciate natural beauty. So, as we get older, as we live longer, we have to make sure we can sustain ourselves, but also respect the environment around us. Life would be very dull if we didn't have beautiful animals, beautiful forests and plants to share it with. I think by working across borders in friendship, I believe the human race can achieve and will achieve this exciting future. All of this will be accomplished with women playing crucial, essential roles at many different levels, which is why it's a pleasure for me to be talking to you briefly at your fifth Belts and Roads women's meeting. And I really sincerely wish you every success in making the future a great one for women and men. Thank you so much and my best wishes to you all.
The theme of the forum, ‘She Power: Jointly Building and Sharing a Beautiful Life,’ reflects a focus on women’s unique contributions and empowerment within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the All-China Youth Federation, along with the People’s Government of Sanya City leadership, the forum brought together over 400 participants. These included the First Lady of Guyana, representatives from the United Nations, Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine, and ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Maldives, Switzerland, Nepal, Guyana, Uganda, Mozambique, and various other countries, along with national and international business representatives.
During the forum, in-depth discussions and exchanges took place around the theme. Guests shared insights on the distinctive role played by women in the ten years since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. They highlighted the substantial achievements of women and looked forward to the future of the initiative, advocating for women’s empowerment to foster common development and prosperity in human society.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, the Belt and Road Women’s Forum has been instrumental in showcasing the unique role of women in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting comprehensive and sustainable development for women, and enhancing people-to-people connections among the participating countries. The forum has successfully established a platform for communication and collaboration among women across the Belt and Road countries, building bridges for mutual understanding and cooperation.