Ed. Note: Lt. Gen. David Poythress, The Adjutant General, State of Georgia, presented the following Opening Ceremony remarks on December 7, 2006 to professionals in science and medicine from 23 countries at the first International China Biopharmaceutical Symposium (ICBPS) in Beijing, China.

Opportunities and Imperatives for Global Collaboration

David Poythress
The Adjudant General Georgia

          Last Friday, December 1st, our global community observed World AIDS Day and re-pledged its commitment to tame that disease, which now afflicts some 40 million of our fellow human beings. Last week we also saw the first instance of radiological contamination of aircraft employed in global, commercial transportation. These two recent events underscore both our technological and commercial interdependencies as well as our common, human vulnerabilities resulting from our intense global mobility

          Today our global technology base enables unprecedented opportunities for all manner of collaborations - scientific, commercial, political, and otherwise. And today, quite clearly, our common human vulnerabilities demand that we exploit those opportunities to their fullest.

          Such opportunities for collaboration cut across all boundaries - geographical, political, cultural, and scientific. Neither birds nor microbes have the slightest interest in such boundaries. And our species can ill afford to allow those boundaries to limit our response (and our preparations for response) to current pandemic threats such as AIDS and SARS, or to potential pandemic threats such as H5N1 avian influenza.

          Certainly, this is not a new idea. Just two decades ago - at the height of the cold war among the superpowers and their surrogate states around the world - we witnessed the near total eradication of smallpox as a naturally occurring disease. The story of that battle is truly heroic. Thousands of people in all walks of life, and hundreds of institutions, both public and private, around the world were engaged. Vision and courage, strategy and tactics, collaboration and determination all came together to carry the day and deliver the victory. That epic story of scientific collaboration should inspire all of us. It teaches us - and reminds us - what can be accomplished.

          Certainly it is not the burden of the scientific community to make the world a perfect place. And scientific collaboration is not likely to bring an end to all human conflict any time soon. But we should not let the perfect become the enemy of the good. There is much to be accomplished short of achieving total peace and harmony in the world. And as we all know very well, a long journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step.

          This ICBPS Symposium is a first step. The mission demands strategic vision, courage and determination. And all of these are present in abundance here today. I salute each of you, along with the organizers of the Symposium, for your vision, courage, and leadership. It is an honor to be among you today.

David Poythress