Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon with his Ghanian counterpart, Martha Pobee. Photo: Israeli UN Mission.

Israel’s mission to the UN on Thursday hosted the first installment of a two-day digital conference examining the use of innovation and technology to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

The conference was the result of the joint election in January of Israel and Ghana to head the United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Forum.

The onset of the pandemic forced the cancellation of a series of STI events, leading Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, to shift the forum’s efforts online.

“In a time of global crisis, uniting to share knowledge with the international community is important and the right thing to do,” Danon said in a statement to mark the opening of the conference. “This initiative is widely supported by the United Nations, mainly because of groundbreaking Israeli innovation, and I have no doubt that it will contribute to the global struggle against the coronavirus, and further strengthen Israel’s position within the UN.”

Thursday’s session began with greetings from Danon and a host of other UN ambassadors, including Ghanaian envoy Martha Pobee, Rwandan envoy Valentine Rugwabiza, Japanese envoy Toshiya Hoshino and Kenyan envoy Lazarus Ombai Amayo.

Friday’s conference will feature UN experts discussing the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals set by the international organization.