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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON WATER SCIENCES AND RESEARCHUSM’s polar researchBeginning in 1983, Malaysia has strategically engaged within theUnited Nations General Assembly to ensure that Antarctica is recognizedand safeguarded as our common heritage on Earth. Malaysia’sinterest in Antarctica was rooted in the opportunity it provides forcooperative research of immense global scope in the areas of science,diplomacy, management of international space, earth system andcosmology studies, polar oceans and ice-core studies, southern oceanresearch, development of early warning systems and science for internationalcollaboration. The Malaysian Antarctic Research Programme(MARP) was established in November 1997 following negotiationsbetween Malaysia and New Zealand for bilateral scientific cooperation.In 2006, MARP extended its activities to the Arctic as well.MARP’s major research interest was to establish the interrelationshipbetween equatorial and polar regions when it comes tothe causes and effects of global warming, environmental changeand impacts on the aquatic microbial community. A number ofuniversities in Malaysia are cooperating in this area of work. MARPhas also been organizing seminars and workshops at the nationaland international levels to promote research and foster scientificcollaboration. The first biennial Malaysian International Seminar onAntarctica (MISA) was held at Universiti Malaya in May 2002. Thesixth MISA will be held from 8-9 October 2013 at Penang.During his visit to USM, Paul Berkman, Chair of the InternationalBoard for the Antarctic Treaty Summit, said that the Antarctic TreatyThe polar@USM team in actionImages: USM polar teamis often seen as a visionary precedent for governing the‘global common’ – that is, regions and resources beyondnational jurisdictions – and that it is also very important,with regard to the Arctic Ocean, to establish a process ofcontinuous policy development that explicitly promotescooperation and prevents discord.As a member of the MARP team, USM has shown greatdedication to realizing MARP’s objectives to increase thenation’s scientific capacity and research outputs. USMis privileged to have nine researchers who have been toAntarctica and two who have been to the Arctic. 14 At theinternational level, the Foundation Director of CGSS,Professor Datuk Seri Zakri Hamid, played a key role in thefiftieth anniversary Summit on Science-Policy Interactionsin International Governance at the Smithsonian Institutionin Washington DC in 2009. Through its participationCGSS@USM co-signed the ‘Forever Declaration’, one ofthe major outcomes of the summit. 15Cooperation through people-centereddecision-makingWater is our world’s most important natural resource.It makes our planet unique among other knownplanets. Given the multiple pressures on this invaluableresource, it is evident that in the future, watermanagement will have to be integrated, interdisciplinaryand people-centred in order to minimize therisk of water conflicts. Such conflict management willrequire scientific evidence and practical value judgementsto secure lasting solutions. Knowledge and skillsacquired through education and work experience willnot be sufficient, by themselves, for managing sustainabilityissues. We need in addition the ability to seeissues in perspective and to clarify and prioritize ourvalue systems before major decisions are made. In otherwords, we need to go beyond knowledge to understandingand wisdom in order to make balanced decisionsthat will accommodate multiple interests in a giveand-takemanner, fully realizing that in negotiatedsettlements there are always trade-offs. 16For example, we know that communities value waterfor various reasons, such as food, bathing, domestic andspiritual uses, recreation, drainage, irrigation, industrialproduction and waste removal. So long as supply anddemand are balanced, there is no conflict. When thedemand exceeds supply, tensions start. This has been thecase for millennia. What has changed is the scale: there aremany more people on Earth now, and we are approachingwater resource scarcity. This puts the various ‘water values’listed above into competition with one another, becauseallocating water resources to fulfil one value reduces theavailability of water for another. This is why we requirescientific evidence and practical value judgments to securelasting solutions, knowing where and how to prioritizeone value over another. 17 Decisions must be inclusive afterall views have been considered, and they must be taken inthe collective interest. We must always be open to furtheriterations of the process when there are clear changes instakeholder priorities.[ 294 ]