International Council for Science (ICSU)

Conseil international pour la science

Contact Details

Main address: Exec Dir: Steven Wilson, 5 rue Auguste Vacquerie, F-75016, Paris, France, Tel: ( 33 1) 45 25 03 29, Fax: ( 33 1) 42 88 94 31, E-mail: denise.young (at) icsu.org , E-mail (2): secretariat (at) icsu.org

Regional Offices: Africa: PO Box 13252, Hatfield, 0082, Pretoria, South Africa, Tel: (27 12) 481 4090, Fax: (27 12) 481 4273, E-mail: director (at) icsu-africa.org

Regional Offices: Asia and the Pacific: Prof Mohd Nordin Hasan, 902-4 Jalan Tun Ismail, 50480, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tel: (60 3) 2698 4192, Fax: (60 3) 2691 7961, E-mail: nordin.hasan (at) icsu-asia-pacific.org

Regional Offices: Latin America and the Caribbean: Prof Manuel Limonta, c/o Acad Mex de Ciencias, Casa Tlalpan Km 23-5, Carretera México-Cuernavaca, Av Cipreses s/n, Col San Andrés Totoltepec, Tlalpan, CP14400, Mexico City, Mexico, Tel: (52 55) 58 49 49 05, Fax: (52 55) 58 49 51 12, E-mail: manuel.limonta (at) icsu-lac.org , E-mail (2): secretariat (at) icsu-lac.org

URL: Main: http://www.icsu.org/

URL: Africa: http://www.icsu-africa.org/

URL: Asia and the Pacific: http://www.icsu-asia-pacific.org/

Aims

Act as a focal point for exchange of ideas, communication of scientific information and development of scientific standards and networks. Address such matters of concern to scientists as: education and capacity building for science; access to scientific data and information; science in developing countries; freedom in the conduct of science.

Official Relations

United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)^* (Special); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)^* (Associate Status); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)^* (Special Status); International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)^*; World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)^* (Permanent Observer Status); Council of Europe (CE)^* (Participatory Status).

Activities

Initiates, designs and coordinates major international, interdisciplinary research programmes; organizes about 600 scientific conferences, congresses and symposia each year; is increasingly called upon to act as spokesman for the world scientific community and act as adviser in a wide range of matters.

Member international scientific unions and national academies of science or research councils together set up international mechanisms to carry out interdisciplinary scientific programmes under the aegis of ICSU. Each member adheres to the Council's statutes, a basic principle being non-discrimination and the universality of science. ICSU endeavours to ensure that scientists involved in its activities have free access to each other.

'Science and Technology in Developing Countries': Most ICSU Unions and Committees are active in organizing training courses, lectureships and scientific meetings. In particular, ICSU has a number of activities with the Third World Academy of Sciences, including a Joint Lectureship/Professorship Programme set up in 1987, which was joined by UNESCO in 1989.

Other concerns include: capacity building; data; ethics; freedom in the conduct of science.

Interdisciplinary bodies:

'Assessment Bodies' (1):

• Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE)^*.

'Thematic Bodies' (7):

• Committee on Space Research (COSPAR)^*;

• International Polar Year (IPY);

• Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)^*;

• Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR)^*;

• Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP)^*;

• Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR);

• Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS).

'Monitoring/Observation Bodies' (3):

• Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)^*, with WMO and IOC;

• Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)^*, with WMO and IOC;

• Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS)^*, with FAO, UNESCO, UNEP and WMO.

'Global Environmental Change Programmes' (4):

• DIVERSITAS - International Programme of Biodiversity Science^*, with IUBS, IUMS, SCOPE and UNESCO;

• Scientific Committee for the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (SC-IGBP)^*;

• World Climate Research Programme (WCRP)^*, with WMO and IOC;

• International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP)^*, with ISSC.

'Data and Information Bodies' (4):

• International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP)^*;

• Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA)^*;

• Scientific Committee on Frequency Allocations for Radio Astronomy and Space Science (IUCAF)^*;

• ICSU World Data System (ICSU WDS)^*.

Policy Committees:

• Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR);

• Finance (CF);

• Standing Committee on Freedom and Responsibility in the Conduct of Science (CFRS)^*;

• Developing Countries.

Instrumental in setting up: Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START)^*; International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE); International Lithosphere Program (ILP)^*; Coordinating Committee of Latin American Science Networks (CCRCLA)^*.

Publications

Insight - ICSU electronic newsletter (4 a year); ICSU Yearbook (1954-2004); e-Directory - members only. ICSU Series on Science for Sustainable Development. Science International - A History of the International Council of Scientific Unions; Understanding Our Planet. Annual Report; meeting and General Assembly proceedings. ICSU and its members publish a wide range of newsletters, bulletins, journals and other learned scientific publications.

Members

National Scientific Members (120). Full in 91 countries and territories:

• Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

• Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, United States of America.

• Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran - Islamic Republic of, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan/China, Thailand.

• Australia, New Zealand.

• Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ukraine.

Included in the above, 1 regional entity:

• University of the South Pacific (USP)^*.

National associate in 7 countries:

• Madagascar, Tunisia.

• Guatemala.

• Jordan, Kazakhstan.

• Georgia, Slovenia.

Included in the above, 1 organization listed in this Yearbook:

• Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS)^*.

National Observers in 19 countries:

• Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Swaziland, Zambia.

• Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Uruguay, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).

• Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam.

• Belarus, Holy See, Turkey.

Scientific Union Members, 31 organizations listed in this Yearbook:

• International Sociological Association (ISA)^*;

• International Astronomical Union (IAU)^*;

• International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)^*;

• International Geographical Union (IGU)^*;

• International Mathematical Union (IMU)^*;

• International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS)^*;

• International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES)^*;

• International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (IUPHAR)^*;

• International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB)^*;

• International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)^*;

• International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)^*;

• International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST)^*;

• International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO)^*;

• International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG)^*;

• International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS)^*;

• International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS)^*;

• International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS)^*;

• International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS)^*;

• International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS)^*;

• International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS)^*;

• International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM)^*;

• International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS)^*;

• International Union of Psychological Science (IUPsyS)^*;

• International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB)^*;

• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)^*;

• International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)^*;

• International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA)^*;

• International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS)^*;

• International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM)^*;

• International Union of Toxicology (IUTOX)^*;

• International Union of Radio Science (URSI)^*.

International Scientific Associates (22):

• International Council for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM)^*;

• International Union of Speleology (UIS)^*;

• Latin American Academy of Sciences (ACAL)^*;

• Federation of Asian Scientific Academies and Societies (FASAS)^*;

• International Federation of Surveyors (FIG)^*;

• International Arctic Science Committee (IASC)^*;

• International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR)^*;

• International Cartographic Association (ICA);

• International Commission for Acoustics (ICA)^*;

• International Commission for Optics (ICO)^*;

• International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS)^*;

• International Council for Scientific and Technical Information (ICSTI)^*;

• International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP);

• International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA);

• International Federation of Societies for Microscopy (IFSM)^*;

• International Foundation for Science (IFS)^*;

• International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)^*;

• International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications (IUVSTA);

• International Water Association (IWA)^*;

• Pacific Science Association (PSA)^*;

• Society for Social Studies of Science (4S)^*;

• TWAS^*.

UNESCO NGO Section Data

Type of Relation with UNESCOAssociate Status

Admission Date1946

Reclassification date1996

Programme sector: EDNo

Programme sector: SCYes

Programme sector: SHSNo

Programme sector: CLTNo

Programme sector: CIINo

Programme sector: BSPNo

Programme sector: AFRNo

Name and contact details of NGO focal point at UNESCOM. Marjoram Tony
SC/BES/CBE

History1931 Creation in Brussels as International Research Council (IRC). In 1931 name changed to International Council of Scientific Unions. Actual title in 1998. 1962 Category A 1996 Formal associate relations (149 EX/ONG.2) (149 EX/Dec. 7.3) 1996-2001 Framework agreement 2001 Renewal of formal associate relations (162 EX/43) (162 EX/Dec.8.4) 2001 Renewal of the framework agreement for the period of the Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (162 EX/43) (162 EX/Dec.8.4) 2008 Renewal of formal associate relations for a new sixyear period (179 EX/35) (179 EX/Dec.35)

Contribution to UNESCO's programmes Evaluation 2008: A framework agreement (2002-2007) entrusted ICSU with executing important tasks in UNESCO’s programme, and with putting in place initiatives that complement those of UNESCO. The two organizations have undertaken many collaborative efforts to promote international cooperation in science, among them deliberations at, and follow-up to, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), as well as the World Conference on Science (WSC). This provided the occasion to carry out a wide range of key projects in support of UNESCO’s Medium- Term Strategy. It also allowed collaboration between UNESCO and the scientific unions and committees of ICSU, as well as the development of cooperation between ICSU’s regional offices and UNESCO’s field offices. Like UNESCO, ICSU strongly supports interdisciplinary science, especially in addressing the environment and sustainable development. It has established numerous interdisciplinary bodies and has been sponsoring major global environmental programmes with UNESCO, such as the World Climate Research Programme and Diversitas. UNESCO and ICSU are natural complementary partners. ICSU’s Strategic Plan for 2006-2011 and UNESCO’s Medium-Term Strategy will offer unique opportunities for cooperation to the advantage of both organizations and of UNESCO’s Member States. SC recommends renewing formal associate relations with ICSU and further decentralizing joint actions, as well as direct cooperation with ICSU scientific unions in basic sciences. Evaluation 2001 : ICSU, with generous financial support from UNESCO, awards 10-15 grants annually to support collaborative projects proposed by its members. During the past six years, 265 ICSU/UNESCO activities concerned these three fields: The strenghtening of science and technology in developing countries The promotion of international cooperation and research in basic sciences Global change research programmes and observation systems Organization with UNESCO in 1999 of the World Conference on Science The General Assembly in Cairo in 1999 endorsed the Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge and the Science Agenda, Framework for Action, documents coming from the World Conference on Science Co-operation with MOST Programme (Intergovernmental Council of the Management of Social Transformations), as ISSC and ICPHS, definition of a common programme between natural sciences and social sciences Initiates and coordonates major interdisciplicary research programmes, such as International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, a Study of Global Change (IGBP) Creation of interdisciplinary bodies and research programmes of interest to several member bodies, such as Antarctic research, space and water research, genetics and biotechnology Set up bodies to address matters of common concern to scientists, such as capacity building in science, freedom in the conduct of science, access to and distribution of information Joint activities between Division of Science Sector and individual members of ICSU family, including UNESCO/ICSU/Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Fellowship and Lectureship Programmes International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), with ISSC UNESCO/ICSU/TWAS Short-Term Fellowship Programme in the Basic Sciences

Previous evaluation made by Programme sector concerned Evaluation 2001 : ICSU, with generous financial support from UNESCO, awards 10-15 grants annually to support collaborative projects proposed by its members. During the past six years, 265 ICSU/UNESCO activities concerned these three fields: The strenghtening of science and technology in developing countries. The promotion of international cooperation and research in basic sciences Global change research programmes and observation systems. Organization with UNESCO in 1999 of the World Conference on Science. The General Assembly in Cairo in 1999 endorsed the Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge and the Science Agenda, Framework for Action, documents coming from the World Conference on Science Co-operation with MOST Programme (Intergovernmental Council of the Management of Social Transformations), as ISSC and ICPHS, definition of a common programme between natural sciences and social sciences Initiates and coordonates major interdisciplicary research programmes, such as International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, a Study of Global Change (IGBP) Creation of interdisciplinary bodies and research programmes of interest to several member bodies, such as Antarctic research, space and water research, genetics and biotechnology Set up bodies to address matters of common concern to scientists, such as capacity building in science, freedom in the conduct of science, access to and distribution of information Joint activities between Division of Science Sector and individual members of ICSU family, including UNESCO/ICSU/Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Fellowship and Lectureship Programmes International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP), with ISSC UNESCO/ICSU/TWAS Short-Term Fellowship Programme in the Basic Sciences

Keywords Biodiversity,Biology,Biotechnology,Fellowships,Natural disasters,Conservation,Water,Ecosystems,Environment,Teacher education,Mathematics,Nutrition,Oceans,GMOs,Developing countries,Sciences,Natural Sciences,Space,Genetics

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