Africa
ICSU is inviting applications for the position of Director of the ICSU Regional Office for Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa). The Regional Office was established in Pretoria in 2005 and is hosted by South Africa’s National Research Foundation. This position is open to citizens of countries of the African continent, who are also currently located in South Africa. The closing date for applications is 15 July 2010.
The first Conference on Physics of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) will take place in Maputo, Mozambique, 12–16 September 2010. ICSU is co-sponsoring the conference, along with the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and other local and international organizations. The Executive Director is serving on the Scientific Committee for the conference, which will bring together physicists from Africa, Europe and Latin America.
The Regional Office for Africa is supporting the 15th World Congress of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST), which will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, 22–26 August. The congress 'Food Science Solutions in an Evolving World' will highlight the important role food scientists play in global issues such as food security, safety, preservation and processing, as well as consumer education and environmental sustainability.
Asia and the Pacific
The 9th meeting of the Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific took place in Kuala Lumpur, in April. The committee appointed a Science Planning Group on Health and Urban Environmental Change, following nominations from ICSU Members. Activities from this initiative will dove-tail with the proposed global, urban health and wellbeing programme (see earlier item). While in Malaysia, three committee members, including the chair, spoke at a seminar ‘Science to Inspire and to Help Us’. The seminar was supported by Open University Malaysia and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and was shown live over the internet. The next committee meeting will be hosted by the Australian Academy of Science (AAS) in Canberra, 11–12 November 2010.
The Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) and the Regional Committee are developing an Experts Database and a Personnel/Infrastructure Mapping Project as part of implementing the priority research areas for the region. ICSU Members and research institutions in the region were consulted in February to determine what information should be included in the project. The Regional Office is also exploring how the database can link to other information databases (e.g. publications) in the region.
The review of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) is underway, with the first meeting of the Review Panel, chaired by Marie-Lise Chanin (France), taking place in June. The panel discussed the online consultation of ICSU Members, which received more than 60 responses. The site visit will take place 9–11 August and the final report will go to the Committee on Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR) in September.
More information and news is available on the ROAP website.
Latin America and the Caribbean
The 8th meeting of the Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean was held in Rio de Janeiro in May. Discussions centred on the review of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) and its relocation to Mexico in September. José Antonio de la Peña was also re-elected chair of the committee.
The panel for the review of the Regional Office visited the site in May, holding meetings with the Regional Director, the Regional Committee and its chair, and representatives of the host, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. A report has been drafted and will go to CSPR in September.
Signing the MoU for Latin America and the Caribbean
ROLAC will relocate to Mexico at the end of September, following the completion of the three-year agreement with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by ICSU, the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACyT) and the new host, the Mexican Academy of Sciences. In light of the relocation, ICSU and CONACyT are seeking a new Director for the Regional Office. Applications are invited from citizens of countries of the Latin America and Caribbean region. The closing date for applications is 31 August 2010.
More information and news is available on the ROLAC website.
In September 2002, the 27th ICSU General Assembly decided to establish four ICSU Regional Offices for Developing Countries to replace the ICSU Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries (COSTED). The decision was based on recommendations from a review of COSTED.
The ICSU Regional Offices promote the further development and strengthening of science in the context of regional priorities and bring the science of developing countries closer to ICSU.
The offices:
facilitate the participation of scientists from developing countries in the activities of ICSU and its Members, Interdisciplinary Bodies and Joint Initiatives, as well as regional scientific organisations;
support scientific networks in their region; and
ensure that the ICSU strategy and activities are responsive to the needs of developing countries.
Three Regional Offices have been established and are generously supported by host institutions.
Sub-Saharan Africa: established in 2005 and based at the National Research Foundation, Pretoria, South Africa.
Asia and the Pacific: established in 2006 and based at the Malaysian Academy of Sciences, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Latin America and the Caribbean: established in 2007 and based at the Brazilian Academy of Science, Rio de Janeiro Brazil.
Regional Committees
The activities of each office are guided by a regional scientific committee. These Regional Committees are responsible for identifying regional priorities based on the ICSU Strategic Plan 2006-2011. Priority setting involves a consultative process with National Members in the region, Scientific Union Members, as well as Interdisciplinary Bodies and Joint Initiatives. Key partner organisations are also involved in this process.
The Regional Committees are comprised of eminent scientists from the region, who are nominated by ICSU Members in the region and appointed by the Executive Board.
Priorities for each region have been identified by the Regional Committees and are being developed into science plans by the Regional Offices, in consultation with scientists and organisations in the region.
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