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ICSU in Science | |||||||||||||||
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Updated
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Latest News
The ICSU Regional Office for Africa has embarked on implementing the four science plans approved at the 5th meeting of the Regional Committee in March. The process began with two international workshops to develop fundable projects and identify key African experts to drive the process. The first Workshop ‘Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development in Africa’, held in Mauritius in June, developed two projects: developing energy models and scenarios for Africa; and increasing access to high quality, reliable, affordable and sustainable energy in sub-Saharan Africa. Task teams have been appointed and will fine-tune the broad themes into fundable projects. The Sustainable Energy in sub-Saharan Africa science plan is available online. The second workshop ‘Natural and Human-induced Hazards and Disasters
in Africa’, held in Uganda in July, developed two projects: geohazards
in Africa, to be linked with the UN-proclaimed International Year of Planet
Earth; and vulnerability and resilience to hydro-meteorological hazards
and disasters in Africa. The task teams that will drive the preparation
of these projects have been finalized. The Natural and Human-Induced
Hazards and Disasters science plan will be available soon. The Regional Office is also collaborating with the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF) in a study to find the best ways of engaging the expertise of the African diaspora in the development of science and technology industries in Africa. Six candidates, from more than 60 applications, have been asked to submit a detailed work plan for this study. The Regional Office has collaborated with its partners to host joint events including:
The Regional Office has also been closely involved in activities organised by other partners including:
On 5 September, the Director of the Regional Office attended a series of meetings — with Sir Gordon Conway, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for International Development (DFID) and Sir David King, Chief Scientific Adviser to Her Majesty’s Government and Head of the Government Office for Science — to discuss ways of undertaking collaborative climate change studies in Africa and how to promote science and technology industries in Africa. In preparation for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), a symposium was convened in Mbarara, Uganda, in September to discuss the application of science and technology to the socio-economic development of African countries. A communiqué on the outcome of this meeting is available online. The Regional Office continues to work closely with the Scientific Research Association of Mozambique (AICIMO), to prepare for the 29th ICSU General Assembly, which will be held in Mozambique in October 2008. Lead-up events and post-assembly activities will include workshops, symposia and field trips in Cameroon, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific The Science Planning Groups on Hazards and Disasters, and Ecosystem Approach in Water and Food Systems have both held meetings to discuss future directions in their areas. A meeting was held with the UNESCO Regional Office in Jakarta to plan long-term joint activities for Asia and the Pacific. Others attending the meeting included the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, the Asia Disaster Preparedness Center and the Asian Institute of Technology. The Regional Office has been involved in several key meetings, including the ICSU Unions meeting in Rome in April — resulting in several follow-up discussions with Unions. The Regional Office represented ICSU at the annual conference of the Science Council of Japan in Okinawa in June, and participated in a meeting organised by the Chinese Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (CSTAM) on the creation of an International Centre on CSTAM is an adhering body of IUTAM. Plans have been finalised for the 2nd ICSU Regional Consultation and the 4th Meeting of the Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific. Both meetings will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand in November. The Regional Office would also like to welcome Ms Nor Zaneedarwaty Norman (Zaneeda) as the new Science Officer. Zaneeda will be responsible for the Regional Office’s programmes.
Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean The ICSU Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean held
a meeting in Mexico City, 27–28 September. The Regional Committee
discussed the progress of the four Scientific Planning Groups in the defined
priority areas and appointed Chairs for each Planning Group: Carlos Bosch
(Mexico), Mathematics Education; Omar Dario Cardona (Colombia), Natural
Disasters; Décio Gazzoni (Brazil), Sustainable Energy; The Scientific Planning Group in Mathematics Education held its first meeting at the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias, on 1–2 October and a second meeting is scheduled for 24–25 January 2008 in Santiago, Chile. The Regional Office received US$25 000 from CONACTY Mexico, the first instalment of a three year agreement between the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and CONACYT. The Regional Office also welcomed Sybelle de Jongh as the new Professional Officer in May. Important dates:
Progress report on the Arab Region The efforts to establish the ICSU Regional Office for the Arab Region have continued. ICSU Executive Director Thomas Rosswall visited Amman in May 2007 and the Royal Scientific Society of Jordan has reiterated its wish to host the Regional Office. The First Regional Consultation for the Arab Region will take place in early 2008 and the Minister of Higher Education in Tunisia has been approached to host the meeting in Tunis. More information on ICSU
Regional Offices Related links
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