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Proposal for Designation of 2011 as an International Year of Chemistry

 

At its recent Assembly on August 11-12 August 2007, IUPAC Council endorsed the plan to obtain United Nations approval of 2011 as an International Year of Chemistry. The Union is therefore pleased to invite all Adhering Organizations, Associated Organizations, and other Chemical Societies to assist with a designation that would create a strategic opportunity to communicate the central importance of chemistry in every facet of modern life.

The decade 2005-2014 is the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. As a central contribution to the decade, IUPAC wishes to enlist as large as possible various chemical communities support in obtaining designation of 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry.

Chemists play a key role in providing solutions to many of the major challenges facing the world today, helping to address the Millennium goals. This initiative is being led by the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), a worldwide scientific organization that objectively addresses global issues in the chemical sciences, and with a truly global reach with just about 50 National Adhering Organizations and 20 Associate National Adhering Organizations.

You can support the nomination of the Year of Chemistry at the UNESCO General Conference, September 2007, where it is planned to be introduced as a resolution, by contacting your National Committee/Delegation to UNESCO. This is a most important first step prior to a request later this year that the United Nations declare 2011 the International Year of Chemistry.

> UNESCO contact details > http://erc.unesco.org/portal/ PermanentDelegations.asp?language=en

An International Year of Chemistry will:

  • Serve as a focal point for activities by national chemical societies, educational institutions, and non-governmental organisations
  • Enhance the understanding and appreciation of chemistry amongst the public
  • Promote the role of chemistry in contributing to solutions to many global problems
  • Build capacity by engaging young people with scientific disciplines
  • Serve as a catalyst for international cooperation

This is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity for national and regional chemical societies, educators, industrial associations, and others to join together to raise the profile of chemistry around the world and communicate the central importance of chemistry in every facet of modern life.

Further information regarding the proposed International Year of Chemistry can be obtained from:

Prof. Peter G. Mahaffy (King's University College, Edmonton, Canada)
e-mail: [email protected]

Dr. John M. Malin (Arlington, VA, USA)
email: [email protected]

or from the IUPAC Secretariat at
<[email protected]>.

first posted 27 August 07

 

> Follow-up Update from Prof. Bryan Henry, the President of IUPAC (pdf file 107KB; 3 Oct 2007).


Page last modified 4 October 2007.
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