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NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL LIAISON COMMITTEES
The MOST Programme encourages Member States to establish National Liaison
Committees (NLCs) to spur co-operation between researchers, decision-makers
and the Programme Secretariat. Member States are free to establish the
structure and composition of a MOST National Liaison Committee according
to their own priorities. Liaison Committees are generally constituted with
the support of UNESCO National Commissions, in conformity with Resolution
13.11 of the 28th General Conference. Alternatively, any institution with
responsibility for scientific policy, such as a national research council,
may host a liaison committee.
The composition of NLCs may include social science researchers based
in universities or other research institutions and representatives of bodies
co-ordinating research funding and of research-user groups such as governments,
the private sector, trade unions, professional associations, NGOs or community
based organisations.
The Committees serve the following functions:
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identify and motivate national institutions concerned with social science
research related to the principle thematic interests of the MOST Programme,
with particular emphasis on involving younger generations of researchers
and university teachers.
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regularly disseminate information about MOST Programme activities sent
by the MOST Secretariat to National Commissions.
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constitute a permanent forum to facilitate the flow of information between
UNESCO-MOST and interested national institutions.
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assist the constitution of national research networks.
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assist in obtaining funding for groups participating in MOST projects from
national bodies such as national research councils, or appropriate government
Ministries (Research, Education, Science and Technology, Social Development,
Foreign Affairs etc.).
National Liaison Committees play an important role within MOST. Some have
already taken the initiative of proposing activities co-operatively funded
by the UNESCO Participation Programme, national bodies or other United
Nations agencies. For example: the Swiss NLC, proposed the MOST Project
"Cities, the Environment and Social Relations between Men and Women", for
which it obtained funding from the Co-operation and Development Department
of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and actively promoted interaction
between research teams in Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Dominican
Republic, Senegal, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Romania.
MOST Liaison Committees currently exist in: Argentina, Australia, Austria,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Canada,
Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland,
France, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Jordan, Latvia, Malawi, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway,
Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation,
Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago,
Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Zaire. CM
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