Description

Asia Program recommendation for a Special Grant of $15,000 to the Global Collaboration Lab Network for a documentary film on science engagement with North Korea. 
In 2011, HLF supported the work of the US-DPRK Science Engagement Consortium through a grant to CRDF Global, US Civilian Research and Development Foundation. Established in 2007, the Consortium’s members included Syracuse University, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Pacific Century Institute and DPRK State Academy of Sciences (SAOS). Its goals were to: 1) serve as a point of coordination for US science engagement with North Korea; 2) provide information to US policy, academic and scientific communities; 3) communicate the value of science cooperation with the DRPK; and 4) implement projects that demonstrated models of cooperation. Over its life, exchanges were made in both directions, working to explore how best to establish partnerships in non-sensitive but critical areas of research such as watershed management, deforestation, biodiversity, salmon hatcheries, and ecology restoration. Scientists and administrators from other institutions participated as well, including from the Carter Center, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, University of Georgia and University of Missouri. Capacity-building efforts included training DPRK scientists in the English language and enabling SAOS Internet access to global publications via a virtual science library.
The Consortium’s secretariat was based at CRDF and managed by Linda Staheli , whose long career at CRDF and in government involved advancing international science engagements and addressing arms control and national security issues. A 2013 article she wrote, with additional background on the Consortium’s work, appears here: https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/pdin_monitor_article/engaging-north-korea-science-diplomacy
Due to the changing political environment and fundraising challenges, the Consortium discontinued its efforts in 2015 but Staheli, who has a wealth of archival material on science engagement with North Korea, is now leading a project to produce a 30-minute documentary film on science diplomacy with the DPRK, including the Consortium’s experiences and lessons learned. Intended audiences include the Biden administration and the next generation of scientists, diplomats and practitioners interested in reducing tensions with the DPRK. Interviewees in the film will include a Nobel laureate, a vulcanologist who worked on Mt. Paektu in North Korea, the Science Diplomacy Affinity Group of AAAS, young policymakers and NGO staff working on the DPRK, and academics involved in establishing the Consortium.
The National Committee on North Korea (NCNK) plans to provide a link to the film on its website and otherwise assist with the film’s promotion through its networks, including making it available to Biden’s team early in the new administration. Keith Luse, NCNK’s president, believes the film will reveal valuable information about people-to-people interactions between Americans and North Koreans that differs from the experience of humanitarian organizations. He also sees its promise for college and university curricula.
The grant would be administered by the Global Collaboration Lab Network, a non-profit Staheli started five years ago when she left CRDF. The Lab “supports next generation change agents to address the complex, interdisciplinary global challenges of our time.” Some of the young people in her network will help with the documentary effort. Our grant will provide compensation to Staheli as producer (the bulk of her time will be offered free of charge), the filmmakers and an intern, and assist with the film’s promotion.