CONTENTS 2 BUDGET INTO LAW 5 PROFILING EXCELLENCE 9 IAP

GENERAL ASSEMBLY 16 FIELDS TO PHARMACEUTICALS 24 YOUNG SCIENTISTS

30DIGITAL DANCING 36 SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATION 42 PEOPLE,

PLACES, EVENTS

TWAS NEWSLETTER

Published quarterly with

the support of the Kuwait Foundation

for the Advancement of Sciences

(KFAS) by The Third World

Academy of Sciences (TWAS)

c/o ICTP, Strada Costiera 11

34014 Trieste, Italy

tel: +39 040 2240327

fax: +39 040 224559

email: info@twas.org

website: www.twas.org

TWAS COUNCIL

PresidentC.N.R. Rao (India)

Immediate Past PresidentJosé I. Vargas (Brazil)

Vice-PresidentsJorge E. Allende (Chile)Lu Yongxiang (China)

Lydia P. Makhubu (Swaziland)Ismail Serageldin (Egypt)

Abdul Hamid Zakri (Malaysia)

Secretary GeneralJacob Palis (Brazil)

TreasurerJosé L. Moràn Lòpez (Mexico)

Council MembersAli Al-Shamlan (Kuwait)

Frederick I.B. Kayanja (Uganda)Mohammad Ataur Rahman (Pakistan)

K. R. Sreenivasan (USA)Eugenia M. del Piño Veintimilla

(Ecuador)

TWAS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Mohamed H.A. Hassan (Sudan)

EDITOR

Daniel Schaffer

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Peter McGrath

MANAGING EDITOR

Gisela Isten

SUPPORT STAFF

Helen Grant, Sheila Khawaja,

Helen Martin, Leena Mungapen,

Sandra Ravalico

DESIGN & ART DIRECTION

Sandra Zorzetti, Rado Jagodic

www.studio-link.it

PRINTING

Stella Arti Grafiche, Trieste

Unless otherwise indicated, the text

of this newsletter is written by its

editors and may be reproduced freely

with due credit to the source.

The Italian government’s decision to provide a ‘permanent’ source of funding for TWAS comes

on the heels of the Academy’s 20th anniversary celebration in China. It is a decision that cre-

ates a firm and lasting financial foundation for the organization.

29 GENNAIO 2004. GAZZETTA UFFICIALE DELLA REPUBBLICA ITALIANA. ACCORDO TRA

L’ORGANIZZAZIONE DELLE NAZIONI UNITE PER L’EDUCAZIONE, LA SCIENZA E LA CUL-

TURA (UNESCO) E IL GOVERNO DELLA REPUBBLICA ITALIANA CONCERNENTE L’AC-

CADEMIA DELLE SCIENZE DEL TERZO MONDO (TWAS).

N otices in a national register of governmental laws and regulations rarely capture

your attention – unless, of course, the law pertains to you.

On 29 January, TWAS had plenty of reasons to read the Italian government’s register –

Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana. The reason was at once simple and com-

pelling: On that date, it

was officially announced

that the Italian govern-

ment had signed into

law a permanent annual

budget for TWAS, marking the successful conclusion to a five-year – indeed 20-year –

journey for the Academy.

Under the terms of the law, the Italian government’s contribution to TWAS will even-

tually reach €1,550,000. In addition the Italian government is providing €775,000 a

year to the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), the global network of

merit-based science academies that functions under the administrative umbrella of TWAS

in Trieste.

“The Academy’s 20th anniversary celebration in China last October,” says C.N.R. Rao,

president of TWAS, “confirmed TWAS’s strategic role both in helping to build scientific

capacity in the developing world through South-South cooperation and in serving as a

Italian Parliament SignsTWAS Budget into Law

EDITORIAL

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valuable institutional link between the South and North on a broad range of issues related

to science.”

“The Italian government has always been generous in its support of TWAS – and, in

fact, the Academy would not exist today if not for Italy’s munificence,” adds Rao. But until

now, funding took place on a year-by-year ‘voluntary’ basis. “The Italian parliament’s will-

ingness to pass a permanent law represents one of the most important milestones in the

Academy’s history. It’s significance,” Rao says, “cannot be overestimated.”

“We must extend a particular thanks to Hassan Dalafi, a long-time staff member of the

International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and, more recently, an administrator

with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO)

Regional Office for Science and Technology in Europe (ROSTE), located in Venice, Italy,”

notes Jacob Palis, TWAS’s secretary general. “He was instrumental in shepherding the law

through both the lower and upper chambers of the Italian parliament, where it ultimately

received unanimous approval.”

Dalafi, who was a close associate of Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, the founding pres-

ident of both the ICTP and the Academy, sees the law’s passage as the fulfillment of

Salam’s dream. “Salam was as dedicated to TWAS as he was to ICTP. He saw both insti-

tutions as key elements in his overall campaign to promote science and technology in the

South. I am sure that if he were alive today he would be smiling broadly knowing that

the two institutions to which he devoted his adult life now enjoy secure and bright

futures. They are in a stronger-than-ever position to promote the good work he envi-

sioned for them.”

“Reaching this goal,” Rao notes, “is not only a credit to Salam’s vision, but also to the

hard work and dedication of the TWAS membership, which consists of more than 700

prominent scientists from around the world, and the Academy’s staff, which has been so

expertly led by Mohamed Hassan. An institution is only as good as its people and TWAS

has been fortunate enough to have active

members and a dedicated staff.”

The law itself calls on the Academy to

pursue its overall mandate to:

• Recognize, support and promote excel-

lence in scientific research in the South.

• Provide promising young scientists in the

South with the research and training facili-

ties necessary for the advancement of their

work.

• Facilitate and encourage cooperation

among leading scientists and institutions in

the South and between them and their counterparts in the Italian Republic.

In addition to covering the cost of the TWAS staff, the funding will be used to:

• Award competitive research grants for young scientists and scientific institutions in the

developing world, with special attention paid to the needs of scientists and scientific insti-

tutions in the least developed countries.

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4 • Provide fellowships and associateships to prominent young scientists in the South for

research collaboration with colleagues at institutions in the South and in Italy.

• Support research collaboration between centres of scientific excellence in the South and

their counterparts in Italy.

• Confer prizes honouring individual scientists from the South who have made outstand-

ing contributions to the advancement of science and its application in solving practical

problems.

Finally, the law calls on TWAS to establish a five-person steering committee comprised

of one representative appointed by UNESCO, two representatives appointed by the Italian

government (one of whom will be a scientist) and two representatives from the develop-

ing world (one appointed by UNESCO’s director-general and the other by the Italian gov-

ernment). The committee, which will meet once a year, will oversee the future direction

and coordination of TWAS’s activities.

“The law will neither change the Academy’s mandate nor its day-to-day responsibil-

ities,” says TWAS’s executive director Mohamed Hassan. “But it will place the Academy

on a secure financial footing and that should help advance our goals in the years ahead.

We are indeed thankful to the Italian government for the confidence it has shown in our

efforts. We also look forward to working closely with our colleagues in Italy and else-

where as we seek to fulfil our mutual objectives of improving the state of science and

science-based development throughout the South.” ■

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COMMENTARY

THE THIRD WORLD NETWORK OF SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATIONS (TWNSO), IN COOPERATION

WITH THE SOUTH CENTRE AND THE THIRD WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (TWAS),

RECENTLY PUBLISHED THE THIRD EDITION OF PROFILES OF INSTITUTIONS FOR SCIENTIFIC

EXCHANGE AND TRAINING IN THE SOUTH, A BOOK OUTLINING THE CAPABILITIES OF OUT-

STANDING RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. MORE THAN 500 INSTI-

TUTIONS ARE INCLUDED IN THE VOLUME.

PROFILING SCIENTIFIC EXCELLENCEIN THE SOUTH

E arlier this year, two impor-tant reports were publishedoutlining potential strategies

for promoting scientific capacitybuilding in the developing world:the InterAcademy Council’s (IAC)Inventing a Better Future: A Strate-gy for Building Worldwide Capacitiesin Science and Technology (www.interacademycouncil.net) and theUnited Nations Millennium Projectscience task force’s Science, Tech-nology and Innovation (www.cid.harvard.edu/cidtech/interim_report.doc). The latter, issued as an inter-im report, will be published in itsfinal form by the end of the year.

Both reports present broadagendas for narrowing the North-South divide in science and sci-

ence-based development. Recom-mendations range from creating aninternational grant fund for pro-mising young researchers in theSouth, to providing training in sci-ence and technology to civil ser-vants throughout the developingworld, to reforming systems ofhigher education in the South in aneffort to place their training andresearch activities more in line withnational economic developmentstrategies.

While both reports emphasizedthe critical role that national gov-ernments must play in the deve-lopment of science and technology– from government financing foreducation to government program-mes for ensuring gainful em-

ployment for their scientists – bothreports also cite the importance ofSouth-South and South-North co-operation in providing pathwaysfor scientific and technologicalprogress.

One of the missing links inefforts to promote global coope-ration in science and technologyhas been a general lack of informa-tion and knowledge concerning thecapabilities of universities andresearch centres in the developingworld.

Until recently, the work of these“tillers of the lonely plough,” as oneobserver recently put it, has gonelargely unnoticed in the North, andsometimes even within their owncountries. And while progress has

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been made in raising the visibilityof high-level scientific research inthe developing world, today onlythe most noted Southern researchinstitutions – for example, the H.E.J.Research Institute of Chemistry,Pakistan; the Chinese Academy ofSciences’ Institute of AtmosphericPhysics; Brazil’s National Institutefor Pure and Applied Mathematics;and the Jawaharlal Nehru Centrefor Advanced Scientific Research inIndia – have achieved internationalrecognition. The good work of hun-dreds of other university depart-ments and research institutions inthe South goes largely unnoticedand unappreciated.

Such shortcomings make it dif-ficult for the world’s scientific com-munity to establish a researchagenda that is truly global in scope.It also prevents the scientific com-munity from taking advantage ofits full pool of knowledge workers.Finally, it creates an imposingobstacle to efforts for promotingscience-based sustainable develop-ment. Simply put, sustainabilitywithout science is not sustainable.

In our knowledge-based world,a lack of knowledge – or, morespecifically, a lack of knowledge ofwhere to find the knowledge that isneeded – is clearly a significanthandicap for policies and pro-grammes designed to improve thematerial and social well-being ofpeople and nations.

That is why the publication ofthe third edition of Profiles of Insti-tutions for Scientific Exchange andTraining in the South represents an

important contribution to thegrowing discussion on the need topromote science-based develop-ment, especially in the developingworld.

The volume offers a thumbnailsketch of the capabilities of 525leading research centres, institutesand universities in the South,including 43 institutions located inthe world’s least developed coun-tries (LDCs). It presents informa-tion on each institution’s majorfields of interest, its full range ofactivities (including publications,patents, library holdings, work-shops and conferences), the state ofits classrooms and laboratories(including a description of itsequipment), its cooperative agree-ments with other institutions and

its future plans. A revised indexand redesigned tables are intendedto make the information even moreaccessible for scientists, scientificadministrators and policy makers.

Profiles of Institutions for Scien-tific Exchange and Training in theSouth is the third edition in thisseries. The first volume, publishedin 1994, listed 208 institutions,while the second volume, pub-lished in 1998, contained 431 insti-tutions.

The 525 institutions detailed inour most recent edition represent a20 percent increase in institutionsover the second volume and 250percent increase over the first edi-tion – a reflection of the growingcapabilities of scientific researchcentres in the developing world,

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particularly among the South’slargest and wealthiest nations.

Yet, the fact that one-half of theinstitutions listed in the book comefrom five nations – Argentina,Brazil, China, India and Mexico –suggests that an ominous splitexists not just between the Southand North but also between theSouth’s most scientifically profi-cient and scientifically laggardnations.

While this growing South-Southgap complicates efforts to improvethe state of science and technologyin the developing world, it also pre-sents unprecedented opportunitiesfor progress, particularly if effectiveprogrammes for South-Southcooperation can be put in placethat enable developing nationswith rising scientific capabilities tolend a helping hand to less capablenations.

And cooperation is exactly whatProfiles of Institutions for ScientificExchange and Training in the Southis designed to foster. In fact, previ-ous editions of the resource book

have served as a valuable referencepoint for the TWAS/UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Sci-entific and Cultural Organization)Associateship scheme, whichallows talented developing worldscientists to visit centres of excel-lence in the South twice during athree-year period. The programmegives participants an opportunity toimprove their research skills andforge valuable collaborations withcolleagues in other parts of thedeveloping world.

The information contained inProfiles of Institutions for ScientificExchange and Training in the Southhas also been used to identify insti-tutions for the TWAS-administeredSouth-South research exchangeprogramme co-sponsored by theOPEC Fund for International Devel-opment and UNESCO – a pro-gramme that encourages scientificresearch centres to join together forthe purposes of pursuing researchprojects in fields where they sharecommon interests and complemen-tary skills.

Similarly, the Third World Net-work of Scientific Organizations(TWNSO), a TWAS-affiliated orga-nization that functions under theAcademy’s administrative umbrel-la, has relied on Profiles of Institu-tions for Scientific Exchange andTraining in the South to build aseries of networks of scientific insti-tutions in a variety of subject areasthat include indigenous and medi-cinal plants, renewable energy,water management, and drylandbiodiversity.

With funding from the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF), theUnited Nations Development Pro-gramme’s (UNDP) Special Unit forTechnical Cooperation amongDeveloping Countries (TCDC) andthe World Meteorological Organi-zation (WMO), TWNSO and TWAShave brought together scientificinstitutions throughout the devel-oping world to share experiencesin the application of science andtechnology to address criticaleveryday problems related to theissues cited above. The source of

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the network for each of these ini-tiatives has been Profiles of Institu-tions for Scientific Exchange andTraining in the South.

When Abdus Salam, the found-ing president of TWAS, and JuliusK. Nyerere, former president ofTanzania and founding chairman ofthe South Centre, conceived of abook designed to profile the capa-bilities of institutions of scientificexcellence in the developing worldin the early 1990s (as an outgrowthof discussions at the 1992 ‘EarthSummit’ in Rio de Janeiro), sciencein the South was in a radically dif-ferent state.

China had only recently emer-ged from decades of isolation torejoin the global scientific communi-ty, Brazil had only just begun toinvest consistently in science andtechnology, and the computer soft-ware revolution was not even aglimmer on the horizon in India.Indeed the internet itself barelyextended beyond a tiny group ofphysicists largely employed at CERN(the European Organization forNuclear Research) and other top-flight physics research centres basedin the United States and Europe.

As C.N.R. Rao, president ofTWAS, notes: “While the world ofscience has dramatically changedover the past decade, the impor-tance of reference books such asProfiles of Institutions for ScientificExchange and Training in the Southhas not diminished. Indeed it canbe argued that the need for thesebooks has intensified in the light ofthe rising importance of South-South and South-North coopera-tion in science and technology ascornerstones for sustainable devel-opment. That’s why the publica-tion’s sponsors expect the demandfor this latest edition to be evengreater than for the previous twoeditions.”

Boutros Boutros Ghali, the for-mer secretary general of the UnitedNations who now serves as chair-person of the South Centre, con-curs with Rao’s observation by not-ing: “The world may have changedbut the need for information is

more critical than ever. Having aneasy-to-use ‘roadmap’ that chartsthe location of a great deal of thisinformation in a single volume willsurely prove invaluable to bothindividual scientists and scientificinstitutions in the South and North.It is for this reason that we expectthe third edition of Profiles of Insti-tutions for Scientific Exchange andTraining in the South to generate alot of interest – and, even moreimportantly, a great deal of use.” ■

For additional information aboutProfiles of Institutions for

Scientific Exchange and Training in the South, contact:

> Helen MartinThird World Network

of Scientific Organizations(TWNSO) Secretariat

Trieste, Italyphone: +39 040 2240 683

fax: +39 040 2240 689email: info@twnso.org

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T he headquarters of the Mexi-can Academy of Sciences, situ-

ated on a mesa overlooking MexicoCity, served as the site of IAP’s tri-ennial General Meeting and Con-ference on Science, held in Decem-ber 2003. Highlights included IAP’s endorsement of fivestatements on critical science-related issues, the electionof a new executive committee, and the decision that thePanel’s secretariat will remain in Trieste. With the recentannouncement that the Italian government will fund IAPon an annual basis, IAP’s future looks bright.

The InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP)held its triennial General Assembly in conjunction withits Conference on ‘Science for Society’ from 1-5 Decem-

ber in Mexico City. More than 120representatives from 62 scienceacademies worldwide attendedthe event.At the assembly, representatives:

• Unanimously agreed to keep the IAP secretariat in Tri-este for at least the next three years. IAP moved to Tri-este in 2000 and since then has functioned under theadministrative umbrella of the Third World Academyof Sciences (TWAS). TWAS will continue to overseethe day-to-day operation of IAP, providing managerial,accounting and public information assistance. The Ital-ian government has announced that it will provide IAPwith an annual budget of €775,000 under a parlia-mentary law that guarantees yearly funding.

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FEATURE

INTERACADEMYPANEL HOLDS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

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IAP ’S MEMBERS MET IN MEXICO TO ASSESS THE PANEL’S PAST

AND LAY OUT A PROGRAMMATIC ROADMAP FOR THE YEARS AHEAD.

• Elected a new 11-member executive committee. Thenew committee consists of science academies fromBangladesh, Brazil, Cuba, India, Italy, Japan, theNetherlands, Nigeria, Senegal, Sweden and the UnitedStates. In addition, the representatives elected YvesQuéré and Chen Zhu co-chairs ofthe executive committee. Quéré,serving a second term, is a distin-guished solid state physicist andheld the post of foreign secretarywith the French Academy of Sci-ences from 1995 to 2003. Chen,who succeeds Eduardo Krieger,president of the Brazilian Academyof Sciences, is an internationally renowned scientistwho holds both a medical degree and a doctorate fromUniversity VII, France. He also coordinated China’sefforts for the Human Genome Project.

• Reviewed the full range of IAP activities in the majorthematic areas that had been at the centre of the Panel’sagenda from 2000 to 2003. These themes includedcapacity building for young science academies, scienceand education, science and the media, and strategiesfor improving the health of mothers and children indeveloping countries. Highlights of IAP activities overthe past three years include workshops on capacitybuilding for science academies in Africa, Latin Americaand the Caribbean region, and in countries with pre-

dominantly Muslim popula-tions. These workshops

have not only attracted widespreadmedia attention but, more importantly,have helped to raise the profile of sci-ence academies in these regions. Africa,for example, has embraced the recom-mendations issued at the IAP capacitybuilding workshop and estab-lished a regional network of sci-ence academies – the Networkof African Science Academies(NASAC). Representativesfrom science academies inIslamic countries have fol-lowed a similar strategy byannouncing the creation of the

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The Italian governmenthas announced that it will provide IAP

with an annual budgetof €775,000.

Network of Academies in the Organization of IslamicConference (NASIC) at a meeting in Islamabad, Pak-istan, in March 2004. In addition, IAP helped to estab-lish a well-respected and widely accessed website forthe exchange of information on mother and childhealth issues that is now managed by the PasteurInstitute. The Panel also held a series of workshops onscience education, most notably in Malaysia, Mexicoand India.

• Issued five statements on science-related issues thathave shaped IAP’s agenda for the past three years. Thestatements, which are designed to influence policymakers working both in national governments andinternational organizations, focus on the followingissues: access to scientific information; capacity build-ing for young science academies; science education for

children; the health of mothers and children in thedeveloping world; and science and the media. Overall,the statements highlight the important role that sci-ence can play in addressing critical global problemsand emphasize the need to enhance scientific capacityin developing countries as a key strategy for providing‘scientifically lagging’ nations with the tools that theyneed to overcome the obstacles that stand in the wayof sustained development. For the complete text of thestatements, see www.interacademies.net/iap/.

• Voiced its support for therapeutic cloning while simul-taneously calling for a ban of human reproductivecloning. In autumn 2003, IAP released a statement onhuman cloning that called for a ban on reproductivecloning but expressed membership support for thera-peutic cloning or cloning for research purposes. The

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statement was part of a larger effort to influence thedebate on human cloning that was taking place at theUN headquarters in New York City. In December 2003,IAP reiterated its position on human reproductive andtherapeutic cloning when the UN decided to reopendiscussions on the topic. The UN assembly ultimatelydecided to postpone a vote for one year (see “IAPEnters Cloning Debate,” TWAS Newsletter, Vol. 15, No.4, pages 2-5).

• Engaged in a wide-ranging series of scientific sessionsrelated to the conference’s overall theme of ‘Science forSociety’. Presentations, for example, focused on scien-tific capacity building in the developing world, foodsecurity in Africa, science-based efforts to curtail thespread of AIDS, last year’s response to Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome (SARS), the current state of cli-

mate change research, science education in China, andan overview of science in Mexico. The conference alsoheld two satellite symposia on the final day devoted toscience education and the management and sustain-able use of groundwater. ■

For additional information about the IAP Conferenceand General Assembly in Mexico City

see www.interacademies.net/iap/ or contact > Joanna Lacey, IAP secretariat

c/o TWAS, Strada Costiera 11, 34014 Trieste, Italytel: +39 040 2240 680 fax: +39 040 2240 688 e- mail: iap@twas.org

Among the overall points of discussion at the IAP Con-ference and General Assembly in Mexico City, none

proved as critical, yet as elusive, as the topic of ethics. Inthe following article, Nobel Laureate Yuan Tseh Lee(Chemistry 1986), president of the Academia Sinica, Tai-wan, China, contends that in a world driven by heartlessglobal economic competition, where science and technol-ogy plays a critical role in determining winners andlosers, it is essential for scientists to be guided by ethicalprinciples if they hope to contribute to global economicand social well-being and inter-national peace. He also explains whyhe thinks the sharing of information– and its ethical use – are moreimportant than ever.

As a scientist, I often ask myself ifscience has really brought substan-tial benefit to humankind.

Critics contend that advances inscience and technology have benefited only about one-third of the people on Earth. For example, when weglorify the enormous material impact of the IndustrialRevolution, we must not forget that countries thatfailed to catch the ‘industrial wave’ became colonies ofWestern powers and suffered immensely.

The fact is that recent human history has beenmarked by a relentless competition among nations thathas produced more losers than winners.

In recent years, although substantial progress hasbeen made in international collaboration, economic

competition among nations sets the beat to which theentire world marches. Countries that lag behind in thiscompetition remain trapped in poverty and misery.

Our increasingly interconnected world will never besafe if large portions of our global population sufferfrom poverty, disease, illiteracy and unemployment.Scientists can play key roles in finding solutions tothese problems. But to advance this common goal, sci-entists must work together to ensure that their exper-tise is not used by some to dominate others or to cause

irreparable damage to our environ-ment.

In 1995, Sir Joseph Rotblat inhis Nobel Peace Prize address saidthat: “The time has come toformulate guidelines forthe ethical conduct ofscientists, perhapsin the form of a vol-untary Hippocratic

Oath.” He contended that scientistsshould not pursue scientific truthsimply for truth’s sake but shouldconsider the ethical implica-tions of their research.

While the importance ofethics in science can betraced to the writings ofFrancis Bacon in the 17th

century, pledges foundedon the common values and

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SCIENCE, INFORMATIONAND ETHICS

Critics contend that advances in science

and technology have benefited only

about one-third of thepeople on Earth.

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responsibilities shared among scientists and engineershave become commonplace in recent years.

For example, the Peace Pledge Movement for scien-tists, launched in Japan in 1999, calls on scientists “notto participate in research, development, manufacture,acquisition and utilization of nuclear weapons as wellas other weapons of mass destruction.”

Similarly, in 2003, TWAS fellows Daniel C. Tsui andDing-Shinn Chen of the National Taiwan Universityasked young bioscientists admitted to the College ofMedicine to declare:

• At the moment of my becoming a member of the bio-

science community, I do solemnly declare that I will

respect the value and dignity of life and conduct

myself to honour this profession. I acknowledge that

I have a special responsibility for promoting the wel-

fare of humankind, and will so behave as to pursue

and exercise my bioscience knowledge in an ethical

and socially responsible way. Never will I use my

training to do harm to others or the environment,

neither will I do anything to diminish social justice.

Whatever action I take and career I choose, I will con-

sider their moral implications. Since I realize that

only ethically responsible bioscientists can hope to

contribute to the peace and security of people, and

thus promote genuine human flourishing, I make this

declaration wholeheartedly and upon my honour.

At our current stage of human development, thereis a difference between the responsibility of an individ-

ual scientist and the scientific community as a whole. If we do not fully appreciate and understand the

rules of the game and consequences of competition inglobalized market-driven economies, practicing so-called‘good science’ for ‘good purposes’ will still producewretched losers among us. As was the case with theIndustrial Revolution in the past, new global competitionbased on information science and biotechnology is sureto create losers that will remain poor and miserable.

Scientists must realize that a nation can sustain itsprosperity only when it is surrounded by prosperousneighbouring nations. Commitment to helping makeour neighbours prosperous is one of the best strategiesfor success in the modern world.

For centuries, scientific knowledge has been sharedfreely among scientists. Moreover, scientists still gen-erally believe that scientific knowledge should beshared by all – as Francis Bacon advocated nearly 400years ago. Early last century, when Madame Curie wasasked why she didn’t patent her discoveries (if she haddone so, she would have been as wealthy as ThomasEdison), her reply was quite simple: she believed thatscientific knowledge belonged to all humankind.

Madam Curie’s idealism is what led me to becomea scientist. In our modern society, however, scientificknowledge is created, transformed into technologyand put to use in society at an ever-increasing pace. Asa result, science has become a fundamental element ofeconomic competition. Patents and intellectual prop-

erty rights have become critical issues, and the sharingof knowledge now stops at basic scientific knowledgeand so called ‘pre-competitive’ technology. Competitivetechnology is not freely shared.

The problem is that the time lag between scientificdiscovery and technology reaching the marketplacehas become shorter and shorter. The lag was 100 yearsfor automobiles, 5 years for computers, and only 18months for microprocessors. In certain areas of scien-tific investigation, it is no longer possible to distinguishbetween basic research and associated competitivetechnology.

As the relationship between science and technologynarrows, the dilemma of ‘to share or not to share’ hasbecome an important issue – not only for applicationsof technologies, but for basic scientific discoveries. It isneither fair nor fruitful for some countries to producemost of the public scientific knowl-edge and others to dedicate them-selves to protected, mission-orien-ted technological development inorder to gain economic competi-tiveness.

In a market-driven economy,free and open economic competi-tion and adequate protection of in-tellectual property rights are necessary for develop-ment. Yet, we must ask whether we can find new andbetter ways to share scientific knowledge and technol-ogy in a more orderly and equitable fashion to pro-mote global sustainable development.

Strong public support for the advancement of sci-ence and the development of technology, together witha shortening of the patent protection period, wouldmove us in that direction.

In recent years, in the field of high-energy physicsand astronomy, scientists have shared their knowledgefreely across national boundaries. In the field of biol-ogy, however, scientists now tend to protect their intel-lectual property rights. In international meetings biol-ogists often are content to learn as much as possiblewhile revealing as little as they can.

Whether this is due to the fact that high-energyphysics and astronomy are supported by public fundswhile profit-making pharmaceutical industries domi-nate biological research is worth studying in detail.

Many of the problems we face today cannot be solvedwith current scientific knowledge and technologies –they await the accumulation of new knowledge and thedevelopment of new technologies. That is why we mustcontinue efforts to advance science and technology andeducate a new generation of creative scientists.

Scientists must also realize that science and tech-nology cannot solve all of our problems. On the con-trary, the rapid development of human activities, espe-cially in a fast-moving global economy, which is pro-pelled by advances in science and technology, couldcreate new problems as contact among peoplesbecomes more frequent.

The 21st century will be a critical turning point forhumankind. Economic globalization will ultimatelyreduce the risk of relying on military confrontations tosettle international disputes. If what replaces military

confrontation, however, is high-technology-based economic compe-tition, then the advancement of sci-ence and technology will continueto be used as a tool of dominationby some, rather than as a tool forthe liberation of all.

If, however, we learn to solveproblems together, learn to share

our limited resources, knowledge and technology andto respect and understand different cultural heritages,it will be possible to construct a global village thatstrives toward sustainable development of all.

We cannot change the past, but we can begin towrite the history of humankind for the 21st century.This is the first time in human history that all humanbeings have been faced with learning to work and livetogether as one family. It is a time for finally realizingthat the planet on which we live is finite in space,capacity and resources. This is a necessary awakening– vital for the survival and sustainable development ofhumankind. If we make the right choices, the 21st cen-tury will be marked as a great turning point – thebeginning of a new era in the history of humankind. ■

> Yuan T. LeeTWAS Fellow 1986

Nobel Laureate, 1986President, Academia Sinica

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A nation can sustain its prosperity only

when it is surrounded by prosperous

neighbouring nations.

T he cultivation and sustainable useof herbal plants are by no means

academic issues. Indeed more than 80percent of the world’s people, includ-ing virtually the entire population ofthe developing world, depend on tra-ditional plant-derived medicines to address their healthneeds.

A recent workshop, co-sponsored by the Third WorldNetwork of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) and theUnited Nations Development Programme’s Special Unitfor Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries(UNDP/TCDC), examined efforts by researchers seekingto transform medicinal plants into pharmaceutical prod-ucts. Sixteen scientists from 14 developing countries,were invited to discuss their experiences.

In addition, two guest speakers presented overviewsof their organizations’ work. Alan Hamilton, head ofthe International Plant Conservation Unit of the World

Wildlife Fund (WWF), spoke about arange of conservation issues affectingmedicinal plants (a summary of hispresentation follows), and JihadNoun of the International PlantGenetic Resources Institute (IPGRI)

in Syria outlined the problems and concerns associatedwith preserving the genetic diversity of so-called ‘newand under-utilized species’, highlighting strategies forbringing wild plants into cultivation or conservingthem in situ.

At the end of the meeting, the guest speakers joinedthe Advisory Board in producing a set of recommenda-tions. Among these were:• TWNSO should recognize and promote the fact thatadding value to medicinal plants through the develop-ment of pharmaceutical products is a major multi-disci-plinary activity that holds great promise for the develop-ing world.

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FEATURE

FROM FIELDS TOPHARMACEUTICALS

HOW CAN TRADITIONAL HERBAL REMEDIES BE DEVELOPED INTO

POTENTIALLY LUCRATIVE PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS?

A BROAD EXAMINATION OF THIS ISSUE SERVED AS THE CENTREPIECE

OF A WORKSHOP HELD FROM 3-6 FEBRUARY IN TRIESTE,

ORGANIZED BY TWNSO AND CO-SPONSORED BY THE UNDP/TCDC.

• Additional initiatives should belaunched to conserve and rationallyuse the treasure trove of biodiversityfound in the Third World.• Scientific validation and bench-marking should be the focal points of all efforts to turnindigenous plants into pharmaceutical products. Such astrategy would allow these efforts to stand the test oftime and make successful commercialization more likely.

As with previous TWNSO workshops, all of the scien-tific presentations will be re-worked into case studies andpublished in the TWAS-TWNSO-UNDP/TCDC’s ‘SharingInnovative Experiences’ series. The volume is due out thissummer.

Workshop delegates also agreed to establish theirown network, centred around a regularly publishednewsletter, which will not only help them keep intouch with one another, but will also serve as aforum for the exchange of ideas and information.Sylvia Mitchell of the University of the WestIndies, Jamaica, agreedto head up the initia-tive – now named the‘TWNSO MedicinalPlant Network’ – witheditorial assistancefrom TWAS staff.

This ‘networking’ initiative pro-mises to have a far-reaching effect,enabling participants to continuetheir discussions and interactionslong after they have returned to

their own countries. Scientists with an interest in medi-cinal plants from other institutions in the South are wel-come to join the network. ■

For additional information contact> Helen Martin

TWNSO secretariat, Trieste, Italytel: +39 040 2240 683email: info@twnso.org

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[CONTINUED PAGE 18]

More than 80 percent of the world’s

population depend ontraditional plant-derived

medicines for theirhealth needs.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), founded in 1961, isnow the world’s largest independent conservation

organization with a network of 52 offices working in morethan 90 countries. It is widely known for its conservationefforts with regard to large mammals such as elephants,tigers and the panda, which is featured on its logo. Formany years, the promotion of the conservation of plants –from rainforest trees to species with medicinal uses – hasalso been at the centre of WWF’s global agenda.

The use of plants for medicinal purposes representsthe largest use of biodiversity in the world. Many morespecies of plants are used as medicines, for example,than are used for food. Focusing on medicinal plants,therefore, has the potential for involving people morewidely in conservation issues.

But there is no precise definition of a medicinalplant. In some cultures, a particular plant can beregarded as both a food and a medicine. In the West,regulations often prevent botanical products from beingmarketed as medicines and they are therefore often soldas food supplements, tonics or similar products.

Medicinal plants are also used in different ways indifferent systems of medicine. One classificationdivides such systems into three major categories:

• Shamanistic medicine. The use of plants by shamansis considered a more spiritual form of medicine.• Folk medicine. Defined as being transmitted fromgeneration to generation as part of a society’s oral tra-ditions, folk medicine is found around the world and isespecially prevalent in Africa.• Scholarly medical systems. These are well representedin Asia and include: traditional Chinese medicine;Kampo, or traditional Japanese medicine; Tibetan andMongolian medicine, both based on Buddhist philoso-phy; Ayurveda used widely in India; and Unani, anIslamic medical tradition. There is also western herbalmedicine, which varies a great deal from one countryto another; and western allopathic medicine, which,historically, is also strongly botanically based and usesmany drugs derived directly or indirectly from plants.

CONSERVATION PROBLEMSA common feature of folk medicines is that they usemany more plant species than the more scholarly sys-tems. Of the 7,500 species recorded as being usedmedicinally in India, for example, fewer than 20 per-cent are used in Ayurveda. Similarly, of about 11,000species used in China, only about 5 percent are com-monly used in traditional Chinese medicine.

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CONSERVING MEDICINAL PLANTS

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These examples point to thefact that a large proportion ofthe world’s flora is consideredas having medicinal proper-ties. Indeed, our best guess isthat some 50,000 species of theworld’s estimated total of 300,000to 500,000 plant species are used intraditional medicine. That is why the useof medicinal plants is the strongest link there isbetween people and nature, and that is why theseresources need to be carefully managed.

One obvious form of management is cultivationand it is fair to say that most of the species used inwestern medicine are now cultivated. Among these arethe Madagascan periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), thesource of two anti-leukaemia compounds, and opiumpoppies (Papaver somniferum), the source of a numberof drugs. However, only about 100of the 50,000 medicinal plantspecies used worldwide are usedin western medicine.

A few of the species used intraditional medicine, such as sea

buckthorn (Hippophaerhamnoides), used to

stem blood flow,are also cultivated on a large scale,but of the 11,000 plants used in Chi-nese folk medicine, only between100 and 250 species are cultivated.In other parts of the world, includ-ing most of Africa, few, if any, medi-

cinal plants are cultivated.Most species, there-

fore – whether usedlocally or collectedfor national or inter-national trade – arecollected from thewild.

With the popu-lation of many de-veloping countriesstill increasing,and the majority

of people in the South reliant on traditional medicinefor their primary healthcare needs, pressure is mount-ing on many populations of medicinal plants. Manyspecies are simply being over-harvested or harvested

in unsustainable ways. In somecases, the roots rather than theleaves are collected, destroying anychance for the plant to regenerate.Alternatively, the species in ques-tion may have a slow rate of growthand be unable to tolerate repeatedcutting.

In addition, because medicinalplants belong to the ‘informal economy’ of many coun-tries, trade in medicinal plants is poorly recorded inofficial statistics. Conservationists, therefore, cannotsay how many species are threatened. The global esti-mate that 10,000 species are under threat from over-harvesting and other pressures is an extrapolation – orbest guess – from the available data.

Indeed, many scientists believe that we are in themidst of a massive anthropogenic extinction of biodi-versity. One estimate predicts that 20 percent of theEarth’s species could be extinct within 30 years, and itis likely that many medicinal plants – many with prop-erties as yet unknown to science – will be lost duringthis mass ‘die-off’.

Complete extinction is obviously a disaster for anyspecies. In the case of medicinal plants, conservationbodies are also concerned about more insidious formsof extinction – the extinction of particular genes in apopulation.

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The use of plants for medicinal purposesrepresents the largest

use of biodiversity in the world.

[CONTINUED PAGE 20]

This so-called ‘genetic erosion’ is especially impor-tant when considering the secondary metabolites pro-duced by a plant. That’s because metabolites, whichare often the target compounds for drug development,vary widely between populations of the same speciesgrowing in different locations. Over-collecting plantswith beneficial properties growing in one location – avalley, say – could force people to collect the samespecies from harder-to-reach locations – such as far-ther up the surrounding hillsides. But there is no guar-antee that the concentrations of theactive ingredient will be the samein the two populations. Conserva-

tion of the genetic diversity within species, therefore,is as important as conservation of a diversity ofspecies. Such genetic erosion is certainly occurring,but it has been little studied by scientists.

‘Commercial extinction’ is another worry. Withmany products that are collected from the wild (notjust medicinal plants, but cod, fur seals, whales andtropical timber) there are widening areas of resourcedepletion as people travel greater distances to collectthe resource. A prime example is the ever-expandingcircle of fuelwood collection around many cities indeveloping countries, which is causing the depletion ofnearby forests. Over-harvesting is having the same

effect on medicinal plants but, unlike the removal oftrees, it has gone largely unnoticed.

Despite these issues, we must also take intoaccount people’s livelihoods when planning and imple-menting conservation solutions. Nowadays, it is notenough to prevent a plant resource from being col-lected. If people are denied access to their traditionalmedicinal plants, unanticipated medical and socialproblems may follow.

In many parts of the world, the majority of people– sometimes more than 80 percent– depend on traditional medicinefor their primary healthcare needs.For example, in rural Malawi, theratio of doctors to patients is oneto 50,000 whereas the equivalentratio for traditional medical practi-tioners is one to 138. In Uganda,the figures are 25,000 patients for

each doctor but just 708 patients for each traditionalmedical practitioner. If certain plants are not avail-able locally, therefore, local healthcare becomesproblematic.

In addition, if people lose their rights to accesstheir traditional resources, they are likely to lose asource of income. Medicinal plants growing in the wildare generally collected by the more marginalizedmembers of soci-ety who derive animportant part oftheir income bytrading them. InNepal’s Ghurkadistrict, forexample, 50to 100 percentof households in themore mountainousnorthern area areinvolved in collect-ing medicinal or aro-matic plants for sale,accounting for 15 to30 percent of thetotal income of somehouseholds.

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Medicinal plants are generally collected

by the moremarginalized members

of society.

This situation also holds true for much of the restof the world. If the plants are locally extinct – orunavailable due to such restrictions as the privatiza-tion of land – then these marginalized people lose acritical source of income.

IN AND EX SITUIn today’s terminology, plant conservation works intwo major ways: through in situ and ex situ manage-ment systems.

In situ systems leave the plants where they occurnaturally and attempt to manage the land to favourtheir continued survival. In this way, both the targetspecies, as well as all the other species sharing theecosystem, are protected.

In practice, however, the in situ managementof medicinal plants is generally poor.National forestry departments, forexample, are usually more concernedwith timber production and generalforest protection and very fewinclude medicinal plants – or theneeds of local communities – in theirland management plans.

Effective community management of awild plant resource requires the designation ofa reliable community institution – perhaps with sup-port from the forestry department – with clear-cutmanagement responsibilities and authority.

When using ex situ methods, conservation organi-zations intervene more indirectly in protecting aspecies. Here the key is cultivation.

For cultivation to succeed, the right species andvarieties for a particular site must be selected. Thesemay not necessarily be the species that grow locally inthe wild. After all, crops such as maize, potatoes andtomatoes are grown throughout the world althoughthey are indigenous to Latin America. For commercialpurposes, it is more important to choose species that

work, both ecologically and economically at a par-ticular site. At the same time, it is important to culti-vate local species if possible, linking this with the sus-tainable management of the wider habitat. Like in situconservation, this method should help conserve morebiodiversity than just a single species.

However, without the assistance of outside special-ists to provide advice on such issues as the introduc-tion of new technologies and post-harvest treatments,local farmers may be unwilling to experiment withwhat would otherwise be a high-risk venture.

Despite some successes, cultivation remains anarea where there is a great need for more practical ini-tiatives. Although wild-collected plants often containmore of the desired active compounds, industry may

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[CONTINUED PAGE 22]

INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATION

WWF has joined forces with the Swiss-based WorldConservation Union (IUCN) and TRAFFIC, an orga-nization that helps monitor the Convention onInternational Trade in Endangered Species of Faunaand Flora (CITES). Together, these agencies arespearheading an international consultation processaimed at revising the current World Health Organi-zation (WHO) guidelines for the conservation ofmedicinal plants, originally published in 1993.Later this year, the conservation organizations willpresent their findings to the WHO, which will anal-yse the results and – the conservation organizationshope – adopt the recommendations. Consultation isongoing and anyone interested in the conservation

of medicinal plants – including TWAS andTWNSO members – can take part in this exer-cise. For additional information, contactWolfgang Kathe, the project administrator:email giraglia@t-online.de.

prefer cultivated material because it is then more likelyto attain assured supplies of uniform quality.

In addition, well-intentioned manufacturers ofbotanical products could help conservation effortsthough guaranteed purchase agreements with com-munities or by providing technical assistance – forexample, to reduce waste caused by poor drying pro-cedures.

NEPAL: A CASE STUDYThe potential importance of medicinal plants to thefuture economic growth of Nepal is illustrated by thefact that the government hasdecided its priorities lie in develop-ing two major sectors – tourismand medicinal plants.

For several years, WWF hasbeen running a ‘People and Plants’project with the Dolpa people ofNepal. It is centred on the Shey

Phoksundo National Park,a new national park

– the largest in the Himalayas –located along the Chinese Tibetanborder.

The Himalayas are a majorsource of medicinal plants, manyof which are collected using un-

sustainable practices. About abillion people in India use

Ayurvedic medicine andanother billion in China

use traditional Chi-nese medicine. Me-

dicines in both tra-ditions common-ly contain Hi-malayan plants.

Without any conservation measuresin place, sought-after medicinalplants could be said to almost ‘flow’off the mountains.

No modern health services exist in this part ofNepal – and there probably won’t be for many years.Instead, people rely on Tibetan medicine. Tibetan doc-tors, known as ‘amchis’, have a long tradition of writ-ten medicine and have great knowledge and under-standing of the Himalayan flora. Indeed, until the for-mation of the Shey Phoksundo National Park, theywere also responsible for much of the natural resourcemanagement in the area.

Because WWF works among local people, ourefforts are very participatory and interdisciplinary. Wetry to bring together our scientific knowledge, includ-ing ethnobotany, with local knowledge of land man-agement and plant ecology provided by the amchis.Basically, we work to meld the two knowledge systemstogether.

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The government of Nepal has decided its

priorities lie indeveloping two majorsectors – tourism and

medicinal plants.

Initially, we spent a year in the field, discussing var-ious issues with the local community and trying todevelop an overview of the problems and how totackle them. Eventually, we decided on a two-prongedapproach.

First, we helped the community set up pasturecommittees responsible for the field management ofmedicinal plants. In the Himalayas, pastures used foryak grazing can be extensive and take many hours totraverse. They also contain locally recognized sub-units used, for example, for the rotational grazing ofdomestic animals. As these traditional ‘field bound-aries’ were already in place, we decided to use themfor testing different management regimes for medi-cinal plants – including rotational collection. Theseregimes were also based on indigenous knowledge,not only that of the amchis, but that of the yak herdersand other stakeholders.

Second, we attempted to support traditionalhealthcare through the Tibetan medical system.

Nepal is a Hindu state that recognizes Ayurveda,but not the traditional Tibetan medicine practiced inthis part of the country. Because there is no state sup-port for Tibetan medicine, the amchis worry that theirtradition will decline. Therefore, in Dolpa, we havehelped build new medical centres where the amchiscan work. We also support the training of apprentices.In addition, the centres act as hubs for monitoring theavailability and management of the various medicinalplants.

It is still too early to know whether this modelwill work. However, word of this project in Nepalhas now spread to other areas where Tibetanmedicine is traditionally practiced, including

Bhutan, where it is the mainmedical system, Sikkim inIndia, and elsewhere in Tibet.We recently brought practitionersfrom each of these areas together for the first time todiscuss ways to strengthen their tradition and how toconserve their medicinal plant resources.

Details of how to conserve medicinal plants willcertainly vary greatly from place to place. WWF hopesthat its project at Dolpa will provide the basis for onemodel for this particular part of the world. ■

> Alan HamiltonHead of International Plants

Conservation UnitWorld Wildlife Fund-UK

email: ahamilton@wwf.org.uk

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T he keenest scientific insightsare often reserved for the

young.Albert Einstein, for example,

was just 26 years old when, in 1905, he published noless than three seminal articles in the German scientificjournal, Annalen der Physik. His articles, whichincluded his mind-bending revelation on the theory ofgeneral relativity, turned our perception of the uni-verse upside down.

Yet, the vast majority of scientists attending scien-tific meetings – the ‘confabs’ that serve as the lifebloodof the profession – are usually, shall we say, mature sci-entists. Their accumulated knowledge, prestige,resources and contacts often conspire to make themthe most likely participants at scientific conferencesand workshops – regardless of the field under study.

The Global Change System for Analysis, Researchand Training (START) programme recently sought toreverse this long-standing trend by sponsoring the

first-ever International YoungScientists’ Global Change Con-ference. The event, hosted bythe Third World Academy of

Sciences (TWAS), took place at the Abdus Salam Inter-national Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Tri-este, Italy, from 17-19 November 2003. More than 80scientists, all less than 35 years of age, were in atten-dance. Fifty percent of the participants were womenand 50 percent were from the developing world.

“The START programme, which was launched in2001, has had a significant impact on the building ofscientific capacity throughout the world, particularlythe developing world,” notes Peter Tyson, chair of theorganizing committee and vice president of the Inter-national Council for Science (ICSU). “This conferencewas organized, in part, because we believed it wastime to recognize and encourage a new generation ofclimate change researchers, many of whom we hadhelped to train during the earliest stages of their

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FEATURE

STANDING UPFOR YOUTH

IN A NOD TO THE ADAGE ‘YOUTH MUST BE SERVED’ , LAST AUTUMN’S CONFERENCE,

ORGANIZED BY THE GLOBAL CHANGE SYSTEM FOR ANALYSIS, RESEARCH

AND TRAINING (START) PROGRAMME AND HOSTED BY TWAS, BROUGHT

TOGETHER 80 YOUNG SCIENTISTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO DISCUSS THEIR

LATEST RESEARCH FINDINGS ON CLIMATE CHANGE.

careers. In effect, we were seeking to showcase thework of the youthful individuals whom we have beenassisting over the past several years.

“In some measure,” Tyson adds, “the conferencehelped to confirm that all scientists, both young andold, are united by their quest for knowledge and thethrill of discovery. Nevertheless, the conference orga-nizers – and the scientific community in general – rec-ognize that we must do more to assistyoung scientists if our disciplines areto remain vital and productive in theyears and decades ahead.”

The appeal of this young scientists’event was evident by the response.More than 1,100 scientists from over30 countries submitted applications.An expert review panel met in Triestein early June to vet the proposals, ultimately selectingsome 80 applicants to attend the conference. Topicsranged from the impact of global climate change oncoastal land-use patterns in southern Bahia, Brazil; toclimate-induced decreases in ecosystem productivity inLake Tanganyika, east Africa; and to the threats posedto coral reefs in the Red Sea due to rising water tem-peratures.

“We are only just beginning to understand howthe Earth’s climate operates as an integrated system,”

says Nobel LaureatePaul J. Crutzen (Che-mistry 1995), whojoined Tyson and Ro-land Fuchs, director ofSTART, in helping to orga-nize the conference. Crutzenalso gave one of the keynote addresses focusing on the

scientific lessons learned from inves-tigations into the stratostophericozone hole.

Efforts to shrink – and eventuallyclose – the ozone hole represent oneof global scientific community’s mostsignificant success stories over thepast two decades. The hole, createdby the widespread use of chlorofluo-

rocarbons (CFCs) and other ozone-depleting chemicalscontained, for example, in aerosol cans, refrigerators,air conditioners, cleaning solvents and insulation,poses a serious threat both to the health of humansand the vitality of our global ecosystem. The threat hasbeen diminished, however, thanks to restrictionsimposed by the Montreal Protocol, enacted in 1987,and the development of CFC substitutes.

“As studies of our climate and weather have shown,the planet functions as a complex, integrated system

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[CONTINUED PAGE 26]

The keenest scientific insights are often reserved

for the young.

responsive to natural internal and external forces, onthe one hand, and anthropogenic impacts, on theother,” says Crutzen.

“Today’s young scientists,” he adds, “face com-pelling challenges in seeking to understand how thatsystem works. The year 1998 was the warmest year inthe last millennium and the 1990s, on average, wasthe warmest decade in the 20th cen-tury. We know, moreover, that thereis a close correlation between risingconcentrations of carbon dioxideand other greenhouse gases andincreasing global temperatures. Butwe still have a great deal to learn,not only about the mechanismsresponsible for this relationship, butalso the ‘feedback’ processes that make the relation-ship so complicated and difficult to understand.”

Indeed the chemical interactions that take placebetween the land, ocean and atmosphere are endlesslycomplex and usual don’t lend themselves to simpleexplanations. Rising temperatures, for example, havemade many arid regions throughout the world evendrier. These drylands, in turn, have been stripped oftheir vegetative cover, which increases the intensity ofdust particles in the atmosphere. Some of these parti-cles are carried by the wind to distant oceans. The highmicro-nutrient content of these particles, often rich iniron, nurtures a dramatic increase in ocean algaeblooms. These blooms then draw carbon dioxide from

the atmosphere as part of their life-sustaining process,helping to reduce the levels of this greenhouse gas.

“What all of this means for global climate changeremains difficult to assess,” notes Crutzen. “Butanswering this question with the confidence that onlyscience can provide is critical if we are to truly under-stand the climate change phenomenon and, equally

important, provide policy makerswith the information that they needto make intelligent, effectivechoices.”

“The public,” addsFuchs, “often viewsclimate change asa process thatleads to a grad-

ual rise in temperatures.” Yet,researchers have increasingly shownthat the most serious immediatethreat posed by climatechange may be thehigher incidence ofsuch extreme weather-related events as hurri-canes and tornadoes.”

There appear to be‘stress thresholds’ causedby surging temperaturesand changing precipita-tion patterns, which, if

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Climate change is a challenge that is

likely to engage generations of

scientists to come.

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breached, can gener-ate abrupt alterationsin regional and globalweather and climatepatterns.

“We know,” Fuchsnotes, “that there has been anincreasing number of extremeweather events over the past several years, but wedon’t know when the thresholds responsible for theseevents may be reached or whether such cross-overevents can be reversed. The next generation of scien-tists will likely spend a great deal of time exploringsuch questions.”

“Finally,” adds Tyson, “scientists have developed awide range of forecasts for potential increases in aver-age global temperatures between now and the end ofthe 21st century. These forecasts vary from 1.5 degreesto 6 degrees Centigrade. It will be important for thenext generation of scientists to narrow the range ofprobability through the development of more sophisti-cated models and methods of analysis. Greater preci-sion in our forecasts – and greater confidence in ourfindings by policy makers – will help ensure that sci-ence plays a central role in what may prove to be themost critical environmental challenge that we will everface. It is a challenge that is likely engage not just thecurrent generation of scientists but generations of sci-entists to come.”

As Crutzen observes, “the START International YoungScientists’ Global Change Conference, which attracted

the interest of so many young scientists from aroundthe world, seems like an excellent strategy for creatinga new generation of ambassadors for the environment.The enthusiastic response to our efforts offers a hope-ful sign that our planet will indeed be shepherded bywell-trained and dedicated weather and climateresearchers in the future.” ■

For additional information about START, see > www.start.org.

For more information on TWAS’s participation in the programme,

contact > Sheila Khawajaemail: info@twas.org

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[CONTINUED PAGE 28]

CLIMATE FOR PARTNERSHIP

This is not the first time that TWAS has teamed upwith the Global Change System for AnalysisResearch and Training (START) programme as partof a larger effort to build and reward capacity build-ing efforts in climate change research. TWAS servesas the executing agency for the four-year, US$7.5million project entitled Assessments of Impact andAdaptation to Climate Change in Multiple Regionsand Sectors (AIACC). Launched in 2001 with fund-

ing from the Global Environment Facility (GEF),the project is designed to expand the base and

range of information on climate-change-related subjects in the developing world.Over the past three years, some 20 institu-tions in the South have been involved incomprehensive research initiatives intended

to provide both information and training foraddressing critical climate-change-related

issues within their countries and regions. In addi-tion, AIACC has held six international workshops,including a workshop in Trieste from 3-14 June2002. For additional information about AIACC, seewww.start.org/project_pages/aiacc. Also see theTWAS Newsletter, ‘Climate Change Sparks NewTWAS Partnership’, Vol. 13, No. 4, 2001, pages 22-23, and ‘Temperatures Rising’, Vol. 14, No. 2/3,2002, pages 30-33.

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What does the overgrazing of grasslands have todo with global climate change?

“There is indeed an important connection,” saysGervasio Piñeiro, a 30-year-old Uruguayan agronomistwho currently serves as a teaching assistant with theDepartment of Natural Resources at the University ofBuenos Aires, Argentina. “In the same way that soilerosion affects the flow and ecology of a stream bed,changes in soil composition impact the chemical make-up of the atmosphere – often placing both the soil andair at risk.”

Piñeiro, who has led a three-year project examiningthe impact of intensive grazing on the organic contentof soils in the Rio de la Plata grasslands that span theborder between Argentina and Uruguay, presented hisfindings this past autumn at the International YoungScientists’ Global Change Conference in Trieste. To hissurprize and delight, his efforts earned him the PaulCrutzen Award for the best conference presentation.

The research plan that Piñeiro and his colleaguesdevised called for comparing 15 sites that had beenintensively grazed for the past 5 to 30 years with 15sites from which grazing animals had been excludedduring the same period. Based on the current popula-tions of cattle, sheep and other domestic animals, thescientists estimated that many pastures currentlyexperience stocking levels more than 10 times higherthan those pre-dating the European settlement of theregion.

Farmers and ranchers have long realized that suchintensive grazing has an adverse impact on the soil.

However, they have not understood the process thatleads to this unwelcome outcome nor the pace atwhich the change occurs.

Through their time-based comparative studies,Piñeiro and his colleagues not only showed that thesoils were losing both nitrogen and carbon but theyalso devised a compelling explanation for the reasonwhy this was occurring.

The researchers surmised that the nitrogen in thecows’ urine, in the form of urea, was being trans-formed into gaseous ammonia. As a result, the nitro-gen, which had been previously ‘fixed’ in the soil,

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EARTH, WIND AND COWS

could now easily escape into the atmosphere. Becausenitrogen is an essential nutrient for both plants andmicrobes, its loss adversely affects plant growth.

Stunted growth, in turn, constrains the accumula-tion of carbon in the soil, resulting in a net loss in thesoil’s organic carbon and, ultimately, in the release ofcarbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Likewise, some 30to 50 percent of the carbon consumed by cattle is lostto the atmosphere, either as methane or carbon diox-ide, both of which are greenhouse gases.

In compacted soils, such as those resulting fromovergrazing, denitrification – the step-by-step transfor-mation of nitrate in the soil into gaseous nitrogen com-pounds such as nitrous oxide – becomes more preva-lent. Nitrogen, in the form of nitrous oxide, absorbsnearly 300 times more heat per molecule than themost prevalent greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide. Thatmakes nitrous oxide a potent contributor to globalwarming.

“The most immediate impact of overgrazing is soilcompaction,” says Piñeiro. “But the more significantand potentially longer-lasting impact, which takesplace over time, is the loss of nitrogen and carbon thatnot only saps the soil of its fertility but also increasesgreenhouse gas levels by releasing carbon dioxide andnitrogen into the atmosphere.

“I liken the process to skin cancer. It’s difficult todetect at first and doesn’t do much harm for sometime. But after a long period it can cause serious, per-haps irreversible, damage.”

“The prize committee,” says Peter Tyson, chair ofthe conference organizing committee and vice presi-dent of the International Council for Science (ICSU),“faced a difficult choice because so many of the pre-

sentations were so good. However, we eventu-ally agreed that Piñeiro’s presentation de-served special recognition. Not only was itbased on excellent research and analysis,but it also focused on the intimate con-nections that exist between all media –

air, soil and water. In addition, his find-ings provided a potential scientificbasis for policy measures that couldsimultaneously enhance the soil’sfertility and curtail the emission ofgreenhouse gases.”

Piñeiro and his colleagues are continuing their fieldsurveys and studies as part of a larger effort to confirmtheir urine-ammonia-soil nitrogen loss hypothesis. Atthe same time, they hope to convince farmers andranchers in Argentina and Uruguay that the planting ofnitrogen-fixing legumes – for example, clover andalfalfa – could help replenish the nitrogen content ofthe soil.

“Nitrogen loss is a serious problem in grazing landsnot only in the Rio de la Plata but in many other grass-land regions. If we can devise a strategy that is bothcost effective and ecologically sound, we can help sus-tain the health of the soil. That, in turn,” Piñeiro adds,“will help ensure the long-term economic well-being ofthe farmers and ranchers who depend on the grass-lands for their financial livelihood.” ■

For additional information on this project, contact > Gervasio Piñeiroemail: pineiro@ifeva.edu.ar

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M ore than 11,000 people, includ-ing some 40 heads of state,

attended the World Summit on theInformation Society (WSIS) that tookplace in Geneva, Switzerland, from10-12 December last year.

Organized by the United NationsInternational Telecommunication Union (ITU), the sum-mit marked the first phase of a two-phase initiative toexplore recent developments in information and commu-nication technologies (ICTs) and the impact that ICTs arehaving on our global society. The second phase will takeplace in Tunisia in 2005.

In Geneva, the Third World Academy of Sciences(TWAS) helped ensure that science was accorded itsrightful place at the centre of debates on the use of ICTsto promote sustainable economic development by propos-ing, together with other international scientific organi-zations, various principles and plans of action. InTunisia, TWAS will help organize a series of sessions

examining the impact of ICTs on thedeveloping world, particularly inrelationship to science-based develop-ment.

ICTs are powerful tools that couldbring 21st century knowledge andskills to people in even the most

remote and impoverished areas. The WSIS is designed, inpart, to lend a helping hand to developing countries intheir efforts to leapfrog the ‘digital divide’, join the global‘information society’ and build their own ‘knowledge-based economies’.

In preparation for the first phase of the World Summiton the Information Society (WSIS) held last Decemberin Geneva, TWAS joined forces with other like-mindedscientific organizations to develop key points for inclu-sion in the WSIS Declaration of Principles and ActionPlan (see ‘Divide No More’, TWAS Newsletter, Vol. 15,No. 3, 2003, pages 29-33).

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FEATURE

DIGITAL DANCING:FROM GENEVA

TO TUNISDIGITAL TECHNOLOGY PROMISES TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE WORLD,

BUT ONLY IF ALL NATIONS HAVE ACCESS TO IT.

These organizations, including the European Orga-nization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Inter-national Council for Science (ICSU) and the UnitedNations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organiza-tion (UNESCO), also held a workshop prior to theWSIS. This two-day meeting, giventhe descriptive title, The Role ofScience in the Information Society(RSIS), was aimed at presentingdelegates of the main summit withan understanding of the criticalcontribution that science played inthe development of the world wideweb and science’s continuing keyrole in driving the future of infor-mation and communication tech-nologies (ICTs). As CERN’s research director RogerCashmore succinctly put it: “Without science, therewould be no information society.”

Over the next two years, as planning unfolds forthe second phase of the WSIS, scheduled to take placein Tunis, Tunisia, in November 2005, TWAS will con-tinue to work closely with other organizations in help-ing to shape the future of the information society –including exploring ways to expand the role of scienceand scientists in ICTs as an instrument for socialchange and ensuring that these enabling technologiesare within reach of the developing world, includingthe least developed countries (LDCs).

So what exactly happened in Geneva? What wasachieved? And how has the stage been set for the sec-ond phase of the summit in Tunisia in 2005?

ROLE OF SCIENCEIn his address at the RSIS, UNESCO director-generalKoïchiro Matsuura summed up what is at stake.

“At a time when the current phase of the scientific-technological revolution shows no sign of slowingdown, can we continue to ignore the fact that one-in-five of the world’s people live on less than a dollar aday, and one-in-seven suffer from chronic hunger?

“The international community responded to thepressing need to address this state of affairs at the

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[CONTINUED PAGE 32]

eJOURNALS DELIVERY SERVICE

Launched in autumn 2001 by TWAS and the Inter-national Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), theeJournals Delivery Service now has nearly400 subscribers from over 60 develop-ing countries. Subscribers haveaccess to more than 240 journalsprovided by such publishers asthe Academic Press, the Ameri-can Physical Society, the OpticalSociety of America and the WorldScientific Publishing Company. Inaddition, last year, Elsevier Science,one of the world’s largest and most prestigiousscientific publishing houses, agreed to provide scien-tists in the South electronic access to its complete listof physics and mathematics journals.

The aim of the ICTP/TWAS eJour-nals Delivery Service is to dis-tribute individual scientific articlesvia email to scientists in institu-tions throughout the Third Worldthat do not have access to suffi-cient bandwidth to downloadmaterial from the internet in atimely manner and/or cannotafford the connection costs. In this

way, scientists are provided with up-to-the-minuteliterature to support their ongoing research. Foradditional information see www.ejds.org.

Information andcommunication

technologies could bring21st century skills to

people in even the mostremote areas.

2000 United Nations MillenniumSummit by agreeing on a set of keydevelopment goals with time-boundtargets – the Millennium Development Goals,” contin-ued Matsuura.

“Harnessing science and the power of ICTs can,both directly and indirectly, contribute substantially torealizing every one of these goals. It can create neweconomic opportunities that lift individuals, communi-ties and nations out of poverty. Furthermore, ICTs canensure greater availability of health and reproductiveinformation, facilitate the training of medical person-nel and teachers, and help empower women with thesame rights and opportunities as men.”

Proponents of the internet hope that, in the future,everyone will be ‘connected’ – just as Thomas Edisonpredicted that, one day, everybody would be able toturn night into day by having one of his inventions –the electric light bulb – in their homes. As TWAS vicepresident Lu Yongxiang put it in his address at TWAS9th General Conference, held last year in Beijing, a keyto accelerating economic development in the South isto launch war against what he called ‘knowledgepoverty’ by investing in knowledge infrastructure.

Lu was quick to add that only with access to infor-mation – access made possible through electronic com-

munications – will individuals, bothin the South and in the North, beempowered to make correct deci-sions that will positively affect theirfuture. Put another way, the digitaldivide can only be overcome if ICTsbecome truly global in scope.

A fundamental aspect of theinternet is that it enables informa-

tion – and data of all kinds – to be freely shared. Thisconcept was addressed by Ismail Serageldin (TWASFellow 2001) of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt, atthe RSIS, when he predicted that digital libraries willbecome increasingly common. Such libraries, henoted, will eventually contain not only books and jour-nals, but also video clips of famous speeches andrecordings of great lectures. However, Serageldin cau-tioned, such issues as peer review, copyright and fairuse still must be resolved before information can bemade more freely available.

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PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

In the run-up to the second phase of the WSIS inTunis, TWAS and its international science partners,including the International Council for Science(ICSU), are helping to organize a satellite summit.The ‘Past, Present and Future (PPF) of Research inthe Information Society’ meeting will take placefrom 13-15 November 2005 and aims to highlightthe role of scientific research and knowledge in theinformation society. Special emphasis will also beplaced on the problems, possibilities and successes ofresearch institutions in developing countries. In par-ticular, PPF will consider:• the past: the scientific and technological develop-ments that have led us to where we are today;• the present: cutting edge developments in boththe public and private sectors; and• the future: connectivity and collaboration issuesthat can be used to help close the digital divide forresearch institutions in the South.Sponsors for the satellite meeting include the USNational Science Foundation, Louisiana State Uni-versity, Intel and Internet2.For more information, contact Wesley Shrum, Pro-fessor of Sociology, Louisiana State University,Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803,USA. email: shrum@lsu.edu, web-site: www.worldsci.net. Proponents of the

internet hope that, in the future, everyone

will be ‘connected’.

Despite the fact that, when it comes to internetaccess, many developing countries are still playing‘catch-up’ with countries in the North, scientists andcomputer programmers are already working on thenext generation of ICT known as the ‘data grid’.

Luciano Maiani, director-general of CERN, ex-plained that the grid is a way of connecting computersso that they can act in parallel, becoming – in effect –a ‘metacomputer’.

The impetus for the grid has been the LargeHadron Collider (LHC) being built at CERN in Switzer-land. The LHC will come on line next year and gener-ate orders-of-magnitude more data than any previoushigh-energy physics project or – for that matter – anyother research project. Moreover, the data must bemade available to thousands of physicists around theworld. In its current form, the world wide web cannothandle such vast amounts of information – hence theneed for a new solution.

The idea is to link computers so that, instead ofexchanging information – as with the web – theirunused processing capacities can be integratedtogether. To accomplish this task, such technical diffi-culties as compatibility standards must be overcome,as well as such political concerns as international reg-ulation, national sovereignty and data protection.

Maiani believes that the grid – and the power it willhave to store and process data – will not only benefitscientific projects and institutions, but also commercialcompanies. Like the internet, he added, the grid is also

being developed by scientists – another reason forincluding the role of science in the WSIS Declarationof Principles and Action Plan.

“The RSIS meeting,” noted Mohamed Hassan,TWAS executive director, “was successful in that itexamined the critical role that the scientific commu-nity played in the recent ICT revolution and, turningfull circle, the effects that this new technology is hav-ing on the scientific community and how science ispracticed around the globe.”

WSISIn contrast to the science focus of the RSIS, the WSISitself highlighted the cultural and ethical problems cre-ated by the ‘digital divide’ – the gap in access to theinternet between people in developing countries andthose in the North.

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EDUCATING THE EDUCATORS

In sub-Saharan Africa, more than 25 million peopleare living with HIV/AIDS and an additional 3 mil-lion new infections occur every year – mostly as aresult of ignorance about the disease and how itspreads. Without a vaccine, the only means ofHIV/AIDS prevention is through education.To attend to this need, the Virtual Institute forHigher Education in Africa, supported by UNESCOand the National Universities Commission of Nige-ria, is currently running a free, online course onHIV/AIDS education for all staff of educationalinstitutions in sub-Saharan Africa.The course aims to develop a critical mass of teach-ers who will then train others and disseminateknowledge of preventive HIV/AIDS practicesthroughout the region. Teachers are not only pro-vided with basic information about the biology andsociology of HIV/AIDS, but are taught how best toinstruct pupils on this content. Advocates hope thatthe programme will help people in Africa under-stand the nature and impact of HIV/AIDS andencourage them to change their behaviour to pre-vent further spread of the disease. For additionalinformation, see www.viheaf.net.

[CONTINUED PAGE 34]

In countries preoccupied with such life-and-deathas issues famine and HIV/AIDS, how realistic is it forgovernments to justify their preoccupation with bring-ing the internet to their people? Put another way, is thedigital divide so significant when other divides – thenutrition divide, the health divide, the sanitationdivide – all impede the well-being of the South?

In responding to this question, we need to remem-ber this: the digital divide is different from all otherdivides because it involves an enabling technology. Inother words, close the digital divide and you have anopportunity to close all the other divides – but only ifyou address the problem of this divide in ways that arecentral to the developing world. And that is where thesummit revealed the existence of a North-South strate-gic divide within the digital divide itself.

As the summit unfolded, in fact, the ‘divide withinthe divide’ became increasingly evident by the juxta-position of different issues of primary concern in theSouth and North. While representatives of developedcountries talked of e-government, web commerce, infor-mation ownership, connectivity and next-generationtechnical issues, representatives from developingnations pondered the validity of prioritizing access tothe internet, providing computers to schools, and eventhe need to provide a reliable electricity supply as a firststep in the communications revolution. Despite TimBerners-Lee, the inventor of the internet, foreseeing aworld where everybody will be ‘connected’, many of theworld’s least developed countries have yet to fulfil Edi-son’s prediction of an electric light bulb in every home.

As Adama Samassékou, president of the WSISPreparatory Committee put it: “The WSIS presents agreat opportunity that we must all seize to put in placea vast programme of development to preserve the dig-nity of the human being and of nations.”

In themselves, ICTs are not of any use, continuedSamassékou, but must be put to good use, helping toimprove the well-being of all people, both in the Southand North.

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DIGITAL SOLIDARITY

At the conclusion of the WSIS in Geneva, developedand developing nations agreed to disagree over thecreation of a ‘Digital Solidarity Fund’ designed toaccelerate the development and dissemination ofICTs in Africa and elsewhere.The fund, proposed by Abdoulaye Wade, President ofSenegal, on behalf of the New Partnership for Africa’sDevelopment (NEPAD), would be administered by theUN and used to help technologically disadvantagedcountries build telephone lines and other infrastruc-ture to help narrow the digital divide. According to ITU secretary general Yoshio Utsumi,some 1.5 million villages in developing countriesstill lack a telephone service, but it would cost justUS$1.1 billion to connect them, or US$6.3 billion ifinternet access was also provided. “This is just 1 per-cent of global fixed-line revenue, or 3 percent ofglobal investment in ICTs,” added Utsumi.However, the proposed fund ran into oppositionfrom such developed countries as Japan and theEuropean Union. Instead of a specific new fund,these countries contended, existing methods of fund-ing should be examined. The WSIS Action Plan,therefore, calls on a task force, under the auspices ofUN Secretary General Kofi Annan, to review existingfinancial mechanisms by December 2004 and topresent their findings and recommendations at thesecond phase of the WSIS in Tunis in 2005.Despite the controversy over the creation of a Digi-tal Solidarity Fund, at the close of the summit, thecities of Lyon, France, and Geneva, Switzerland,together with the government of Senegal,announced joint contributions to the fund of Euros1 million (US$1.2 million).

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That is why the summit focused on such issues aspreserving indigenous knowledge, highlighting theimportance of ethics in science, and ensuring that thewealth of information now available on-line is usedeffectively in the promotion of economic development.

Even so, less than five years ago, critics werebemoaning the digital divide, fearing that new ICTswould widen rather than narrow the gap in knowledgeand know-how between the North and the South.

Today, that fear remains. However, recent develop-ments in the South suggest that advances in ICTs arebeginning to fulfil their promise.

In Pakistan, for example, access to the internet isnow available in 95 percent of the country, connectioncosts have fallen by a factor of 30over the past 3 years, and internetcafes have brought telecommunica-tion technology into the lives ofmany young Pakistanis. In Nigeria,the number of mobile phone usershas increased from 500,000 tomore than 2.5 million over the pasttwo years. There is a proposal tolink seven southern and eastern African countrieswith a US$300 million submarine cable system thatwill reduce connection costs in the region by 70 per-cent. And there is a drive to make all African high-school students literate in information technology(IT) by 2009, and all primary school children IT-literateby 2014.

These and other examples highlight the fact thatthe South is becoming increasingly ‘connected’. Thequestion now is how to make effective use of ICTs toaddress critical social and economic issues.

Although WSIS provided little guidance on howthis can be achieved, the idea behind the two-phasesummit is for governments and nongovernmental andinternational organizations alike to develop specificproposals on making ICTs work for development in theSouth. (Some examples are highlighted in the ‘boxes’accompanying this article).

Such concerns will also be the focal point of dis-cussion at a side event now being organized by TWASand other scientific organizations for the secondphase of the WSIS, to be held in November 2005 inTunisia.

The Geneva phase of the WSIS ended with theheads of state and other delegates in attendanceendorsing the Declaration of Principles and ActionPlan, including all the points proposed by TWAS andits science partners.

Among the long-term goals the delegates agreed towere:• Development of affordable and reliable high-speedinternet connections for all universities and researchinstitutions.• Promotion of electronic publishing through openaccess initiatives and differential pricing for scientistsand institutions in the South.• Creation of long-term, systematic and efficient ways

to collect, disseminate and preservescientific data in a digital form.

“Through our role in the RSISand WSIS, TWAS has helped en-sure that the concerns of the South– and specifically the scientificcommunity in the South – wereheard at the highest levels of theinternational community,” observed

Mohamed Hassan at the close of thesummit. “Like many other institu-tions, we must now prepare forthe second phase of the WSIS,and develop concrete proposals,not only to try to close the digitaldivide, but to make sure thatICTs are effectively and efficientlyput to work to help meet the Millen-nium Development Goals.

“Ultimately,” Hassannoted, “informationalone is of no use toanyone. It is how thatinformation is put towork – and by whom– that will determinewhether the electro-nic communicationsrevolution changessociety for the better,or simply reinforcesexisting trends.” ■

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Recent developments in the South suggestthat advances in ICTsare beginning to fulfil

their promise.

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S igma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, is a non-profit organization with a membership of more that

70,000 scientists and engineers elected on the basis oftheir achievements. Founded in 1886, the society hasmore than 500 chapters, publishes American Scientist,and awards grants to young researchers. Additionally, itholds fora on critical issues at the intersection of scienceand society and sponsors a variety of programmes sup-porting science and engineering, science education, sci-ence policy and the public understanding of science.

The 2003 Sigma Xi forum, held in Los Angeles from12-13 November 2003, was attended by 130 scientistsand engineers, about 50 of whom came from developingnations. Among the themes discussed at the forum werethe outreach efforts of global scientific organizations,and science and technology cooperation between Mexicoand the United States.

Another session, ‘Collaborative Research: South-South and South-North’, co-organized by Sigma Xi andTWAS, focused on successful examples of researchcooperation between the developed and developingworld.

Collaboration among scientists is increasingly recog-nized as an important strategy for strengthening sciencecapacity not only in the less advanced nations, but acrossthe entire globe.

Proving that such efforts can have a long-termimpact, the following article – based on a presentationat the Sigma Xi forum – describes the establishmentand development of a successful teaching and researchinitiative in biology at the Pontifical Catholic Univer-sity of Ecuador (PUCE), which is now recognized byTWAS, TWNSO and the South Centre as a ‘centre ofexcellence’.

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FEATURE

SCIENTIFICCOLLABORATION

IN ECUADORTHE 2003 SIGMA XI FORUM, ‘SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING:

KEYS TO INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING’ , HELD LAST AUTUMN IN LOS ANGELES,

DISCUSSED A NUMBER OF ISSUES OF INTEREST TO TWAS AND ITS AFFILIATED

ORGANIZATIONS. AS EUGENIA M. DEL PINO VEINTIMILLA (TWAS FELLOW 1989)

REPORTS, A KEY TOPIC WAS HOW INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

CAN HELP BUILD SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

BUILDING CAPACITYAn estimated 70 percent of species come from just 17countries that are home to a so-called ‘mega-biodiver-sity’ of fauna and flora. Among this select group, whichalso includes Brazil, China and Peru, is Ecuador. Cover-ing just 0.17 percent of the Earth’s land surface,Ecuador is home to 10 to 20 percent of all land mam-mal, bird, reptile and amphibian species as well as1,400 species of fish and more than 16,000 species ofhigher plants.

Despite the country’s rich natu-ral heritage, biology has only beentaught at the Pontifical CatholicUniversity of Ecuador (PUCE) sincethe 1960s. With assistance fromAlliance for Progress, an aid pro-gramme for Latin America laun-ched by the United States duringthe Kennedy administration, de-gree courses in biology and othernatural sciences were instigated.Aid from Alliance for Progress pro-vided funds for the construction offacilities, provision of laboratoryequipment and teaching aids, andsupport for faculty and staff.

The programme focused ontraining high-school science teach-ers as a prerequisite for the promo-tion of science education. Giftedstudents were encouraged to applyfor fellowships to receive graduatetraining in the United States. Afterthe completion of the trainingabroad, these individuals often re-

turned to Ecuador to teachat PUCE.

Alliance for Progressstopped funding the initia-tive in 1969. Since then,biology teaching and re-search has been in thehands of the Ecuadorian faculty who have greatlyadvanced the effort. Today, PUCE has 11 technicians

and other staff supporting 36research scientists and professors,and an annual budget of aboutUS$500,000.

This growth has been due toseveral factors, including the dedi-cation of the faculty members, sup-port given by the university, andcollaborative links developed withother institutions both in the Northand the South.

Ecuador’s rich natural diversityhas also helped, and long-term bio-logical studies have been under-taken by members of the biologyfaculty. The School of Biological Sci-ences at PUCE is now recognized asone of the best centres for biologicalresearch and teaching not only inEcuador but worldwide – a facthighlighted by its inclusion in theThird World Network of ScientificOrganizations’ (TWNSO) Profiles ofInstitutions publication, which listscentres of research excellence in theSouth (see article on pages 5-8).

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[CONTINUED PAGE 38]

E. M. del Pino Veintimilla

Some 70 percent ofspecies come from just17 countries, includingEcuador, that are hometo a ‘mega-biodiversity’

of fauna and flora.

The success and growing demands of biologicalresearch and teaching at PUCE soon meant that theoriginal science building became too small. In the1980s, with funds provided by the Ecuadorian govern-ment, a new building was constructed. Demand onspace continues to grow, and a new floor has recentlybeen added to expand the laboratory facilities.

Funding for research on the biological sciences inEcuador comes from such national grant agencies asthe Foundation for Science and Technology (FUNDA-CYT), state and private oil enterprises, and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which provideresearch grants on the basis of a national competition.Some researchers at the School of Biological Sciencesalso obtain support from collaborative programmeswith foreign scientists, universities, and institutions inboth the North and the South, and from the provisionof services to other institutions. Through its own pro-

gramme of research grants, PUCE itself provides somesupport for research. In addition, for the past fiveyears, the university has issued an annual call forresearch proposals and small grants that are providedto the faculty. PUCE also has a programme of studentassistantships that contributes to the advancement ofresearch and the training of students.

RESEARCH STATIONIn 1994, the Ecuadorian Institute of Forestry, NaturalAreas and Wildlife (now the Ministry of the Environ-ment) created the Yasuni Research Station in theEcuadorian Amazon forest, and subsequently deferredits administration to the PUCE School of Biological Sci-ences. The research station is a component of theYasuni National Park and the adjoining HuaoraniReserve, both part of the Yasuni Man and BiosphereReserve. Established by UNESCO in 1989, the reservecovers approximately 15,000 square kilometres of pris-tine rainforest, rivers and lagoons.

The mission of the research station is to:• Promote and implement scientific research on thenatural resources of the Yasuni National Park andHuaorani Reserve to provide a sound basis of ecologi-cal and other knowledge necessary for their conserva-tion or sustainable management.• Train Ecuadorian students and researchers in biolog-ical, environmental and related sciences.• Cooperate with the indigenous peoples that inhabitYasuni National Park and Huaorani Reserve to helpthem improve their living conditions in sustainable,socio-ecological ways.

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In collaboration with the Smithsonian Institutionand the Field Museum of Chicago (both in the USA)and the University of Aarhus (in Denmark), PUCE hasestablished a permanent 50 hectare field research areain Yasuni Research Station to study forest dynamics –part of a network of 16 similar plots located mostly inthe tropics. Investigations have already confirmed thatthe Yasuni forest has a rich biodiversity. For instance,the plot is home to some 300,000 trees and 1,100 dif-ferent species of woody plants have been identified.With more than 20 species per hectare, the Yasuni for-est has one of the highest woody plant diversity scoreson record.

Scientists and students from PUCE and elsewherenow come to this well-equippedresearch station for both instruc-tion and research. In the region’swarm, wet climate, however, theoriginal wooden buildings aredecaying. In an ambitious plan,PUCE is replacing these olderstructures with concrete buildingsdesigned to withstand the localweather conditions. Financing forthe research station and its operational costs arelargely covered by PUCE, but are supplemented by feespaid by visitors.

BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGYSystematic biology and ecology are well represented atPUCE. The zoology museum (Quito Católica Zoology,QCAZ), which is maintained mostly with local funds,holds a representative collection of Ecuadorian verte-brates and invertebrates that attest to Ecuador’s greatbiodiversity. The invertebrate collection, for example,contains more that one million insects. Plants are sim-ilarly well represented in the PUCE collections, withthe herbarium (Quito Católica, QCA) containing about200,000 specimens. These collections are of greatimportance and value to local researchers and foreignscientists alike.

Botanical research has benefited greatly from theEnhancement of Research Capacity (ENRECA) pro-gramme of DANIDA, Denmark’s foreign aid organiza-tion. From 1989 to 2001, under the ENRECA pro-gramme, researchers from the University of Aarhus in

Denmark collaborated with PUCE scientists to improvebotanical research in Ecuador. In addition, the pro-gramme supplied equipment and provided training fel-lowships. Some students who took part in the pro-gramme have since obtained advanced degrees in Den-mark and returned to continue their botanical researchin Ecuador.

Although this assistance ended three years ago,valuable scientific links remain between members ofPUCE’s biology faculty and Danish scientists and insti-tutions. The recent publication of several books andarticles in international journals, many of them co-authored by staff from PUCE and several other foreigninstitutions, adds weight to the claim that the herbar-

ium has developed into an interna-tionally recognized centre ofresearch for systematic and ecolog-ical botany.

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Active scientific linksremain between membersof PUCE’s biology facultyand Danish scientists and

institutions.

CELLS AND GENESCell and molecular biology re-search at PUCE has traditionallyreceived less financial support thanother areas of the biological sci-ences. With the aid of France’sInstitute of Research for Develop-ment (IRD), however, three molec-ular biology programmes are cur-rently in progress.

The first of these is aimed at themolecular characterization of palmtrees, and the genetic ties betweenwild and cultivated palm species. Asecond project is directed at thegenetic analysis of cassava (Mani-hot esculenta), an economically im-portant staple root crop, and itsgenetic introgressions with therelated M. leptophylla, a species thatis endemic to Ecuador. The thirdmolecular biology project is aimedat isolating viruses that can be usedas biological control agents for the Guatemalan moth(Tecia solanivora), a pest of potatoes introduced intoSouth America in 1983 and first detected in Ecuador in1996. For each of these programmes, the IRD providesresearchers and laboratory equipment as well as train-ing fellowships intended to build research capacity inEcuador.

Other efforts are directed to the study of the insectvectors of the Chagas disease caused by the Try-

panosoma cruzi parasite that isendemic in Ecuador. Funding forthis study comes from a collabora-tive programme with the Universityof Ohio, USA, and local sources. Inaddition, the laboratory of humangenetics, supported by FUNDACYTand other local sources, is charac-terizing the chromosomal abnor-malities associated with exposureto different environmental agentsand the incidence of certain typesof cancer.

Researchers at PUCE are alsostudying the cell and molecularbiology of development of marsu-pial and other frogs. These investi-gations not only provide valuableinformation concerning the biol-ogy of local species, but the modi-fications of early development thathave been discovered have spur-red important advances in our

understanding of comparative anatomy and embryol-ogy. The programme has benefited from small grantsprovided during the 1970s under the UNDP/UNESCOBiology Programme for the Andean Countries, andfrom a gift of equipment from Germany’s Alexandervon Humboldt Foundation. Individual scientists fromthe United States and Europe have also been gener-ous in providing both advice and key laboratoryreagents. More recently, local funds have been

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With the aid of France’sInstitute for Research

and Development (IRD),three molecular biology

programmes arecurrently in progress.

obtained from the PUCE research grant programmeand from FUNDACYT, which will ensure the continu-ation of the project.

TRAINING AND LINKSThe School of Biological Sciences has provided basictraining in biology to students who have since becomebiology teachers, thereby contributing to science edu-cation in Ecuador. Additionally, since the 1980s, adegree programme or Licenciatura in biological sci-ences has produced more than 300 graduates. Theseformer students are now engaged in research andteaching at different institutions in the country and insuch national agencies as environmental protection.Some of these graduates have also obtained higherdegrees at universities in the United States andEurope and returned to work in Ecuador. In othercases, former graduates working abroad have estab-lished collaborative links with PUCE, and continue tocontribute to biological research and teaching inEcuador.

The biology faculty at PUCE also has strong linkswith research for the conservation of the GalapagosArchipelago, and some PUCE graduates have held keypositions at the Galapagos National Park Service andat the Charles Darwin Foundation for the GalapagosIslands. PUCE’s School of Biological Sciences alsocooperates with other universities and institutionswithin Ecuador.

NORTH TO SOUTHThe support from the North that initiated teaching andresearch at PUCE in the 1960s has had an enduringpositive impact. Cooperation with agencies from othercountries in the North, such as the ENRECA pro-gramme of DANIDA, Denmark, and the IRD fromFrance, have further enhanced the scientific growth ofPUCE. Even so, important contributions have comefrom local sources, particularly for the construction ofbuildings. Funding for the areas of cell, molecular anddevelopmental biology, though, has been scarce andadditional assistance is needed if scientists working inthese areas are to compete with their colleagues in theNorth.

Although PUCE collaborates with other institutionsin Ecuador, such as the Darwin Foundation for the

Galapagos Islands, collaboration with other countriesin the South is extremely limited because of severaldifficulties. Among these are funding, which, for themost part, comes from countries in the North. In addi-tion, the great distance between countries in theSouth, and the high costs of travel between thosecountries, add to the difficulty of establishing ex-change and cooperation with scientists in the South. ■

> Eugenia M. del Pino VeintimillaTWAS Fellow 1989

Department of Biological SciencesPontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE)

Quito, Ecuador

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4NEW PARTNER• The United Nations University’sInstitute for Advanced Studies(UNU/IAS) has joined TWAS, theInternational Science Council(ICSU) and the United Nations Ed-ucational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) in spon-soring the Visiting Scientist Pro-gramme. The objective of the pro-gramme is to provide institutionsand research groups in the South,especially those with limited out-side contacts, with the opportunityto establish long-term links withworld leaders in science. For addi-tional information see www.ias.unu.edu and www. twas.org underthe ‘Activities’ link.

SCIENCE IN AFRICA • TWAS has begun an informal col-laboration with Science in Africamagazine, Africa’s first online sci-ence internet portal. The websiteprovides Africa-orientated sciencenews to the continent and the restof the world – and will feature rele-vant articles from the TWASNewsletter. In addition, special sec-tions of the site cater to young sci-entists and educators, while infor-mation is updated regularly onfunding opportunities, science jobsand events. The website receivesover 13,000 hits a day and, since itsinception in 2001, has receivedwell over 7 million visitors. Found-ing editors Janice Limson andGarth Cambray are both active sci-entists. Limson works in the De-partment of Biotechnology atRhodes University, South Africa,while Cambray, a final year PhDstudent has launched Africa’s firstmead brewery – producing the tra-ditional beverage from honey. Notyet three years old, Science in Africa

has already received national andinternational recognition for its ef-forts in science communication. In2002 it won the National Scienceand Technology Forum award forits outstanding contribution to sci-ence, engineering and technologyand, in 2003, the magazine wonthe prestigious Highway Africa NewMedia award, an all-Africa awardfor journalism. The magazine canbe viewed at www.scienceinafrica.com.

PRIZES FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS• The Ministry of Higher Educationand Scientific Research of the Re-public of Guinea has become thelatest organization to offer TWASPrizes for Young Scientists. Recipi-ents, who must be under 40 yearsof age, are selected by the host or-ganization on an annual basis, withthe prize being awarded in each ofthe natural sciences on a rotatingbasis. Prizes are worth up toUS$2,000 and are usually pre-

sented by a high-ranking official ata special ceremony. The Guineanministry brings the number of min-istries, academies of science, re-search councils and other scientificorganizations in the South offeringthe prize to 35. Among the 2003prize winners were Paul Woafo

(Cameroon), Arturo Ramirez Por-ras (Costa Rica), Gerardo Nietoand Reynaldo Santana (Cuba),Artbazar Galtbayar and Norov-suren Jadambaa (Mongolia) andFarhan Saif (Pakistan). For addi-tional information about TWASPrizes for Young Scientists, contactinfo@twas.org.

WAYS TO GO• Based on a concept first floated atthe International Forum for YoungScientists at the World Conferenceon Science held in Hungary in1999, the World Academy of YoungScientists (WAYS) has now beenlaunched. With support fromUNESCO, the Hungarian govern-ment and the Hungarian Academyof Sciences, WAYS promotes thescientific interests of young scien-tists in both developed and devel-oping countries, and aims to giveyoung scientists a voice regarding,for example, policy issues relatingto science and technology and thepopularisation of science. WAYS iscurrently processing membershipapplications from more than 60countries. Membership is open toscientists between the ages of 15and 40 as well as mentors and se-nior researchers and science admin-istrators. For additional informa-tion, contact ways@sztaki.hu.

PEOPLE, PLACES, EVENTS

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4 AWARD FOR ATIYAH• Sir Michael Atiyah (TWAS Found-ing Associate Fellow), University ofEdinburgh, UK, has been awardedthe 2004 Abel Prize by the Norwe-gian Academy of Science and Let-ters. The prize, which carries a cashvalue of about US$1 million, isshared with Isadore M. Singer, Mas-sachusetts Institute of Technology,USA, and was awarded for theiroutstanding role in building bridgesbetween mathematics and theoreti-cal physics, and especially for theirjoint discovery and proof of theAtiyah-Singer index theorem thatbrings together topology, geometryand analysis. The theorem is re-garded as one of the great land-marks of 20th century mathematics.Atiyah has also served as presidentof the Royal Society in the UK, andhelped launch the InterAcademyPanel (IAP), which is located inTrieste, Italy, alongside TWAS.

ZAYED PRIZE FOR OBASI• Godwin O.P. Obasi (TWAS Fel-low 1996) has been awarded the2004 Zayed International Prize forthe Environment in the Scientificand Technological Achievementcategory. Obasi, the former secre-tary-general of the World Meteoro-logical Organization, was honouredfor his efforts in creating the Inter-Governmental Panel on ClimateChange (IPCC). The US$300,000prize was shared with Egypt’sMostafa Tolba, former executive di-rector of the United Nations Envi-ronment Programme (UNEP), andSweden’s Bert Bolin, former chair-person of the IPCC. The awardceremony was held in the DubaiInternational Conference Centre inFebruary and was attended by HisHighness Sheik Mohamed bin

Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Princeof Dubai and Minister of Defencefor the United Arab Emirates.

MINISTERS ON THE MOVE• In Brazil, economist EduardoCampos has been named the newMinister of Science and Technology,replacing Roberto Amaral. InSouth Africa, Ben Ngubane, SouthAfrica’s Minister of Arts, Culture,Science and Technology, has re-signed to become South Africa’sambassador to Japan. His post hasbeen filled by the former Ministerof Minerals and Energy Affairs,Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who isoverseeing both ministries until ad-ditional cabinet changes expectedin April. Thabo Mbeki, President ofSouth Africa, thanked Ngubane forhaving “positioned South Africa asa major and influential contributorto the development of arts, culture,science and technology.”

PANZA ELECTED• Giuliano F. Panza (TWAS Associ-ate Fellow 1996), a geophysicistfrom the University of Trieste, Italy,has been elected to the Italian Na-tional Academy of Sciences dettadei XL. Panza has earned an inter-national reputation for his work onearthquakes and seismic hazards inlarge urban areas, including Bei-

jing, Cairo and New Delhi, and forhis research with scientists from In-dia and Russia on the seismic en-ergy of the Himalayan region. Hehas also developed a theory to ex-plain the generation of tsunamis,and a model describing the subduc-tion of the continental lithospherein continental collisions that is nowgenerally accepted among earth sci-entists. Panza follows in the foot-steps of such notable XL academymembers as Amedeo Avogadro, En-rico Fermi, Camillo Golgi andGuglielmo Marconi.

GRANT DEADLINES• Applications for TWAS and affi-liated organizations programmeshave various deadlines. Amongthose most imminent are: grantsfor TWAS Research Units in LeastDeveloped Countries (31 May);TWOWS postgraduate trainingfellowships for women scientists(31 May); CSIR/TWAS Fellowships(1 June); Support for InternationalScientific Meetings (1 June); andTWAS Research Grants (1 July).Full details and application formsare available at www.twas.org un-der the ‘Activities’ link or contactinfo@twas.org.

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W H A T ’ S T W A S ?

TWAS offers scientists in the Third World

a variety of grants and fellowships. To find out

more about these opportunities, check out

the TWAS web-pages! Our main page is at:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas

Want to spend some time at a research

institution in another developing country?

Investigate the South-South Fellowships:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/

SS-fellowships_form.html

Need funding for your research project?

Take a look at the TWAS Research Grants:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/RG_form.html

TWNSO runs a similar scheme, for projects

carried out in collaboration with institutions

in other countries in the South:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/

TWNSO_RG_form.html

But that’s not all TWAS has to offer.

For instance, do you need a minor spare

part for some of your laboratory equipment,

no big deal, really, but you just can’t get it

anywhere locally? Well, TWAS can help:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/SP_form.html

Would you like to invite an eminent scholar

to your institution, but need funding for

his/her travel? Examine these pages, then:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/Lect_form.html

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/Prof.html

You’re organizing a scientific conference

and would like to involve young scientists

from the region? You may find what you

are looking for here:

http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~twas/SM_form.html

CONFERENCES

TRAVEL

EQUIPMENT

GRANTS

FELLOWSHIPS

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

W H A T ’ S T W A S ?

THE THIRD WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (TWAS) IS AN AUTONOMOUS INTER-

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION THAT PROMOTES SCIENTIFIC CAPACITY AND EXCELLENCE

IN THE SOUTH. FOUNDED IN 1983 BY A GROUP OF EMINENT SCIENTISTS UNDER

THE LEADERSHIP OF THE LATE NOBEL LAUREATE ABDUS SALAM OF PAKISTAN,

TWAS WAS OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED IN TRIESTE, ITALY, IN 1985, BY THE SEC-

RETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

TWAS has more than 700 members from 81 countries, 66 of which are developing

countries. A Council of 13 members is responsible for supervising all Academy

affairs. It is assisted in the administration and coordination of programmes by

a small secretariat, headed by the Executive Director. The secretariat is located

on the premises of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics

(ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. UNESCO is responsible for the administration of TWAS

funds and staff. A major portion of TWAS funding is provided by the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of Italy.

The main objectives of TWAS are to:

• Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the South.

• Provide promising scientists in the South with research facilities necessary for

the advancement of their work.

• Facilitate contacts between individual scientists and institutions in the South.

• Encourage South-North cooperation between individuals and centres of schol-

arship.

TWAS was instrumental in the establishment in 1988 of the Third World Network

of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO), a non-governmental alliance of 160 scien-

tific organizations from Third World countries, whose goal is to assist in build-

ing political and scientific leadership for science-based economic development

in the South and to promote sustainable development through broad-based

partnerships in science and technology. > www.twnso.org

TWAS also played a key role in the establishment of the Third World Organiza-

tion for Women in Science (TWOWS), which was officially launched in Cairo in

1993. TWOWS has a membership of more than 2000 women scientists from 87

Third World countries. Its main objectives are to promote research, provide

training, and strengthen the role of women scientists in decision-making and

development processes in the South. The secretariat of TWOWS is hosted and

assisted by TWAS. > www.twows.org

Since May 2000, TWAS has been providing the secretariat for the InterAcademy

Panel on International Issues (IAP), a global network of 90 science academies

worldwide established in 1993, whose primary goal is to help member academies

work together to inform citizens and advise decision-makers on the scientific

aspects of critical global issues. > www.interacademies.net

TWAS offers scientists in the Third World avariety of grants and fellowships. To find outmore about these opportunities, check outthe TWAS web-pages! Our main page is at: www.twas.org

Want to spend some time at a researchinstitution in another developing country?Investigate the fellowships andassociateships programmes:www.twas.org/Fellowships.htmlwww.twas.org/AssocRules.html

Seeking funding for your research project?Take a look at the TWAS Research Grants: www.twas.org/RG_form.htmlTWNSO runs a similar scheme, for projectscarried out in collaboration with institutionsin other countries in the South:www.twnso.org/TWNSO_RG.html

But that’s not all TWAS has to offer. For instance, do you need a minor spare part for some of your laboratory equipment, no big deal, really, but you just can’t get itanywhere locally? Well, TWAS can help: www.twas.org/SP_form.html

Would you like to invite an eminent scholar to your institution, but need funding forhis/her travel? Examine the VisitingScientist Programme, then:www.twas.org/vis_sci.html

You’re organizing a scientific conference and would like to involve young scientists from the region? You may find what you are looking for here:www.twas.org/SM_form.html

CONFERENCES

TRAVEL

EQUIPMENT

GRANTS

FELLOWSHIPS

WANT TO KNOW MORE?