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International Council for Science
The International Council of Scientific Unions was created in 1931 to promote international scientific activity in the different branches of science and their applications for the benefit of humanity. At an Extraordinary General Assembly in April 1998 the name was changed to ICSU: the International Council for Science. Since its creation, ICSU has vigorously pursued a policy of non-discrimination, affirming the rights and freedom of scientists throughout the world to engage in international scientific activity without regard to such factors as citizenship, religion, creed, political stance, ethnic origin, race, colour, language, age or sex.
ICSU is a non-governmental organization with two categories of membership: scientific academies or research councils which are national, multidisciplinary bodies (95 members), and Scientific Unions, which are international, disciplinary organizations (25 members). The complement of these two groups provides a wide spectrum of scientific expertise enabling members to address major international, interdisciplinary issues which none of them could handle alone. In addition, ICSU has 28 International or Regional Scientific Associates.
The Council seeks to accomplish its role in a number of ways. First, it initiates, designs and coordinates major international, interdisciplinary research programmes, such as the International Geophysical Year (1957-58), the International Biological Programme (1964-74), or the more recent International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme: A Study of Global Change (IGBP), which complements the joint WMO/ICSU World Climate Research Programme, and aims to describe and understand the interactive physical, chemical and biological aspects of the total earth system. Second, ICSU creates interdisciplinary bodies which undertake activities and research programmes of interest to several member bodies. Examples of such activities include antarctic, oceanic, space and water research, problems of the environment, genetic experimentation, solar-terrestrial physics and biotechnology.
In addition to these programmes and activities, which seek to break the barriers of specialization, several bodies set up within ICSU address matters of common concern to all scientists, such as capacity building in science, data, science and technology in developing countries, ethics and freedom in the conduct of science.
The Council also acts as a focus for the exchange of ideas, the communication of scientific information and the development of scientific standards. Scientific conferences, congresses and symposia are organized all round the world - the total in excess of 600 a year, and a wide range of newsletters, handbooks, learned journals and proceedings of meetings is published. ICSU also assists in the creation of international and regional networks of scientists with similar interests. ICSU maintains close working relations with a number of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, in particular with UNESCO, in cooperation with which a number of international programmes have been launched and are being run, and with WMO.
Finally, because ICSU is in contact, through its membership, with hundreds of thousands of scientists world-wide, it is being increasingly called upon to act as the spokesman for the world scientific community and as an adviser in matters ranging from ethics to the environment.
ICSU SECRETARIAT
Jean-François Stuyck-Taillandier, Executive Director
51, Bd de Montmorency,
75016 Paris, France.
Tel (33 1) 45 25 03 29
Fax (33 1) 42 88 94 31
E.Mail: secretariat@icsu.org -
http://www.icsu.org
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