On behalf of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), I welcome you all to its 34th General Assembly. IUBS was founded in 1919 to promote international cooperation and free exchange of knowledge and data on biological sciences, specifically in the domains of bio-nomenclature, ecology, biodiversity, public health, agriculture, etc. For the past three years the humanity is going through one of its worst pandemics. Notwithstanding the rapid spread of the pathogenic virus across the globe due to our increasingly mobile lifestyle, scientists and public health experts could effectively integrate ecology, evolution, population biology, cell and molecular biology, data science and social sciences to reduce the impact of the pandemic considerably. Lessons learnt from the pandemic emphasises the importance of unified biology and open data science policy for achieving sustainable development and equity. It is therefore very appropriate that the 34th GA of IUBS will focus on the theme “Biological Science for Sustainable Living”.  

I look forward to your active participation in the GA and in our scientific programs to achieve our common goal.