At the start of a new year and a new decade, the ISC is moving ahead with the twelve projects outlined in its recently published Action Plan.
A key part of implementing the plan has been the appointment of four advisory Committees, which have all met in the past few months to discuss taking forward the Council's strategy in the coming years.
Looking further ahead, we encourage you to find out about the proposal to declare 2022 International Year of Basic Sciences for Development, an initiative developed by ISC members and now heading for discussion at the UN General Assembly.
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Digital technologies have enormous potential to enable transformations to sustainability, for example through enhancing the decarbonization of cities, transport and energy systems. They could also allow for more efficient monitoring and protection of local and global ecosystems. But how can we make the digital revolution a game-changer for a sustainable future? There are just a few days remaining to share your perspective on the online charter, ‘Our Common Digital Future’.
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2020 has been declared the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) to inspire learning and concrete action on supporting plant health for the future of human wellbeing. Plants make up 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe. Protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment and boost economic development. Find out more about the year and discover associated scientific conferences via our website.
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Since September 2019, Australia has experienced an ongoing, unprecedented fire season due to record-breaking heat, drought and high wind conditions.
In a new blog for Future Earth, Pep Canadell, Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project - and Canberra resident - comments on what the fires mean for climate solutions, and the work ahead in better understanding the dynamics of abrupt climate change effects.
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From our community
The recent UNESCO General Conference has adopted a resolution to proclaim 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Development (IYBSD). This would help highlight the crucial role of basic sciences for sustainable development, and emphasize their contributions to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These aims are strongly aligned with the ISC’s mission to increase evidence-informed decision-making on urgent global challenges, and its vision of science as a global public good.
The proposal for the Year was developed by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), under the leadership of Michel Spiro, IUPAP President, with the encouragement and support of the ISC and its many members, partner institutions and UNESCO. The next step is for the UN General Assembly to decide whether to proclaim 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Development. In order to enhance the chance of success, we invite ISC Members and International Scientific Initiatives to write Expression of Interest letters by 31 March.
In other news, IUPAP has published a statement on collaborative access to facilities and data, noting an increasingly restrictive environment for scientific collaboration, and calling for collaborating scientists to have unimpeded access to physical facilities and to the data resulting from their common efforts. Read it here.
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For our members
The ISC is currently booking discussions with our membership on organizational and science priorities for 2020 and beyond. Don't forget to book your conversation with a member of our team.
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Vacancies in our network
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) currently has openings for an Organisational Assistant and an Interim Coordinator in its newly founded Office of Astronomy for Education in Heidelberg, Germany, as well as a 5-year postdoctoral position in astronomy education research.
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From our regional offices
The ISC Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific will be organizing a regional consultative meeting involving all ISC member organizations in the Asia Pacific region. The Meeting aims to get members' inputs on addressing the priorities for the region with respect to the ISC Science Action Plan. The meeting will take place on 6-7 April 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The ISC is transitioning towards a new regional governance structure and the meeting would also serve to receive inputs and feedback from members on the future structure. We really hope that members in Asia Pacific will be able to participate. For further information, please contact Sufyan Aslam.
Catch up with all the latest from our Regional Offices on our website.
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Meet the Council and its members at these upcoming events...
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2020 AAAS Annual Meeting
Seattle, USA
13 February 2020
Find out more
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World Biodiversity Forum
Davos, Switzerland
23-28 Feb 2020
Find out more
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