IUPAC supports IUPAP’s initiative to celebrate 2022 in obtaining a UN-designated International Year of Basic Sciences for Development.
In November 2019, the UNESCO General Conference has adopted a resolution to proclaim 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). The Year would contribute to highlight the crucial role of basic sciences for sustainable development, and emphasize the contributions of basic sciences to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The proposal for the Year was developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), under the leadership of Michel Spiro, IUPAP President, with the encouragement and support of UNESCO, the International Science Council (ISC) and its many members, and partner institutions including IUPAC.
The aims of IYBSD are strongly aligned with the International Science Council’s mission to increase evidence-informed decision-making on urgent global challenges, and its vision of science as a global public good. The IYBSD would complement nicely the initiatives of ISC and of several Unions members to support the 2030 Agenda. Along with IUPAC, other partners of IUPAP includes the International Mathematical Union (IMU), the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), and the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
The next step is for the United Nations General Assembly to decide whether to proclaim 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Development. In order to enhance the chance of this process to be successful, ISC invite all its Members to write Expression of Interest letters. Expressions of interest should be addressed to Michel Spiro, IUPAP President, and sent to [email protected] by 31 March. See more details at https://council.science/basicscience/
For more information on the international year initiative, please see the official website of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Development is www.iybsd.org.
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