UNESCO’sNatural Sciences Sector

UNESCO’sNatural Sciences Sector

UNESCO’s Natural Sciences SectorIts Structure, Mission and Vision for the Future

THE MISSION: PROMOTER AND BROKER OF SCIENCE

THE VISION: CREATIVE SCIENCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOCIETY

✔ Advancement and sharing of scientific knowledge;

✔ Application of scientific knowledge to sustainabledevelopment and technology;

✔ Contribution of science and technology to peace;

✔ Understanding the role of ethics in science and technology;

✔ Promotion of equity of access to S&T knowledge andbenefits;

✔ Enhancement of productive linkages between scientists anddecision makers.

The Organization’s Medium-Term Strategy (2002-2007) is formulated around asingle unifying theme: UNESCO’s contribution to peace and human developmentin an era of globalization, through education, the sciences, culture andcommunication. Within the framework of this objective, the overall vision for theNatural Sciences Sector is to ensure that the creativity of science is used for thebenefit of society by providing world leadership in expertise and internationalcooperation in natural and environmental sciences and engineering, and thereby tocontribute to the safety and well-being of people throughout the world and to theeconomic well-being of nations.

The core principles underlying this vision are those underpinning UNESCO’smission of universality, diversity and dignity, coupled with the values of equity andjustice, solidarity and sharing, tolerance, and respect for human rights. Excellencein work is an overriding characteristic.

Based on its overall vision, the Sector must make strategic choices and full use of itscomparative advantages, combining both its intellectual and operational mandates

while thinking globally and acting locally.Its niche is defined by its specific role asan honest promoter and broker of scienceand of ‘science without frontiers’ at alllevels (local, regional, global), itsintersectoral potential and the societaland political relevance of its programmes.

The mission of the Sector is to further theadvancement and sharing of scientificknowledge and to promote theapplication of this knowledge and itsunderstanding to the pursuit ofsustainable development. In performingits functions, the Sector contributes tounderstanding the earth systems andpreserving their diversity. It is calledupon to foster the role of science in peace processes and conflict resolution.It should work with the social and human

Vision and Mission of the Natural Sciences Sector

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sciences as an advocate for ethics in science and technology and for thecontribution of science to preserving human rights, while also promoting thepeaceful use of science and technology. Its programmes should integrate asocial contract for science and attempt to improve the image of scienceaiming to attract young people to scientific studies. In the pursuit of itsdevelopment mission, the Sector strives to promote equitable access toscience and technical knowledge, as well as the benefits of science, andcontributes to the upgrading of scientific knowledge and its use in developingcountries, including related capacity-building activities, both human andinstitutional.

An increasingly important challenge for the Sector is to link science andsociety at large. In the years to come, its role will be to further promoteproductive linkages between scientists and decision-makers in governmentand in the private and public sectors. The Sector’s programmes are called

upon to support the creation anddelivery of scientific knowledge forlocal, national and internationalpolicy-making and problem-solving.

In working towards the attainment ofits objectives, the Sector willendeavour to be a forum for excellencein science. Its programmes shoulddevelop innovative approaches toscience education, capacity-buildingand science policies. They should relyon new forms of partnerships and newways of cooperating, while constantlypromoting collaboration amongscientists and facilitating the exchangeand transfer of scientific and technicalknowledge.

Vision and Mission of the Natural Sciences Sector

SCIENCE ANALYSIS AND POLICIES

In response to the recommendations of the World Conference on Science(Budapest, 1999), the mission of the Division of Science Analysis andPolicies is to provide assistance in the formulation and implemention ofscience and technology policies at the national, regional and world-widelevels with a view to increasing and mobilizing scientific and technologicalresources to advance knowledge and support sustainable development.

Accordingly, the Division develops decision-making tools, methodologiesand norms for science policy-making. It conducts analyses on global andsectoral science policies to provide advice on restructuring nationalscientific systems, to assist in the elaboration of strategies and programmeswith emphasis on poverty reduction, and to promote cooperation amonggovernments, parliamentarians, industry and civil society.

The Division advocates ethics of science, deontology of scientificresearchers, peaceful and societal use of science and technology, inparticular through public debate and standard-setting activities. Itpromotes multidisciplinary projects to foster public understanding andappreciation of science and to increase the participation of women andyoung scientists in science and technology development and policy-making.

SCIENCE ANALYSIS AND POLICIES

Science and Society

◗ science popularizationand the development ofscience parks;

◗ science prizes;

◗ participation of womenin science and theparticipation of youngscientists in sciencepolicy;

◗ science for peace.

Science System Management

◗ analysis and evaluation of science systems for the formulationof policy guidelines;

◗ policy advice for the restructuring of national research andinnovation systems;

◗ assistance to governments and international organizations inthe elaboration of strategies and science investmentprogrammes;

◗ regionalcooperativenetworks amonggovernments,parliamentarians,industry and civilsociety.

Science Policy Studies

◗ decision-making tools, methodologies and normsfor science policy-making;

◗ international cooperation through UNESCO Chairsand studies on ethics of science and deontology ofresearchers, technology forecasting and assessment,and legislation in science and technology;

◗ assistance to Member States in developinginformation services and databases for sciencepolicy.

WATER SCIENCES

The Division of Water Sciences is the focal point for all activities related tofreshwater, the principal priority of the Natural Sciences Sector. Its mainobjective is to enhance the understanding of hydrological processesoccurring in nature and society in order to develop a sustainable andintegrated approach to water resources management. Activities focus oncapacity-building related to the assessment, development and operation ofwater systems and are based on the fundamental principle that freshwater isas essential to sustainable development as it is to life and that water, beyondits geophysical, chemical and biological function in the hydrological cycle,has social, economic and environmental values that are inter-linked andmutually supportive.

The Division provides the Secretariat for the International HydrologicalProgramme (IHP), UNESCO’s intergovernmental scientific cooperativeprogramme in hydrology and water resources, and a vehicle through whichMember States can upgrade knowledge of the water cycle and therebyincrease their capacity to better manage and develop their water resources.

The Division also houses the World Water Assessment Programme(WWAP) involving 24 United Nations agencies and ConventionSecretariats.

WATER SCIENCES

Hydrological Processes and Climate

◗ understanding of hydrological and biogeochemicalprocesses connected with water transfer into,through and out of drainage basins impacted byanthropogenic pressures and climate variability;

◗ at the interface between societal and environmentalneeds, promoting sustainable water resourcesmanagement and sound policy-making.

Sustainable WaterResources Management

◗ development and operationof water systems within theframework of integratedwater resourcesmanagement;

◗ enhancement of theunderstanding of how watersystems interact withsociety on different scales:national, regional andinternational;

◗ scientific input to water-related policies, education,conflict resolution andother measures.

Global Water Assessment

◗ coordination of activities of the UN system-wideWorld Water Assessment Programme, which aimsto help coordinate the efforts of all UN agenciesconcerned with freshwater issues;

◗ World Water Development Report.

BASIC AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES

Capacity-building in basic and engineering sciences as a prerequisite forthe advancement, transfer, sharing and dissemination of knowledge, isthe priority in the Division of Basic and Engineering Sciences. Activitiesbackstop other issue-driven scientific and environmental programmes inthe Natural Sciences Sector. In the basic sciences, activities relate totertiary level education and to research in mathematics, physics,chemistry, biology, biotechnology and basic medical sciences. In the fieldof engineering and technology, activities are designed to strengthenhuman resources in developing countries in engineering education and topromote selected technological applications, including the use ofrenewable sources of energy. The Division is the focal point for thescience education programme and contributes to the follow-up to theWorld Conference on Science (Budapest, 1999).

Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry

◗ capacity-building in mathematics, physics and chemistryeducation at tertiary level and in research;

◗ life-long learning and the training of scientists andteachers from developing countries to promoteendogenous science;

◗ activities carried out in cooperation with the ICTP,IUPAC, CIMPA, CERN, JINR, and the Trace ElementsInstitutes for UNESCO.

BASIC AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES

Life Sciences

◗ capacity-building in the biosciences (cell and molecular biology,biotechnology and basic medical sciences) at tertiary level;

◗ development-oriented research and sharing of new scientificknowledge through the networking of academic centres;

◗ cooperativeglobal effortsto combatsocietalscourgessuch as AIDSand malaria.

Engineering Sciences and Technology

◗ strengthening national and regional capacities in engineeringeducation, technological research and related applications;

◗ promoting cooperative education and training programmesin renewable energies;

◗ fostering activities to reduce urban vulnerability to man-made and natural disasters.

ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES

The Division of Ecological Sciences contributes to advancingscientific knowledge about the environment and to applyinginnovative policy approaches to ecology and biodiversity science,through the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) andintra- or intersectoral activities.

The Division houses the Secretariat for the programme on Manand the Biosphere (MAB). The major goal of MAB, as currentlyendorsed by its Intergovernmental Coordinating Council (ICC),is to develop the basis for improving the relationship betweenpeople and their environment. Its operational tool is the WorldNetwork of Biosphere Reserves made up of 440 sites in 97countries.

Biosphere reserves are livinglaboratories for testing anddemonstrating the sustainable useof natural resources, thuscontributing to poverty alleviation.

The Division also managesinitiatives to build human andinstitutional capacity throughinterdisciplinary training of youngscientists and decision-makers inthe fields of ecology andsustainable development. TheDivision is the focal point forbiodiversity issues in UNESCO.

ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Legal and Institutional Aspects ofWNBR, Information, Science andCapacity-Building

◗ evaluation mechanismsfor the WNBR;

◗ guidance to MemberStates on thefunctioning ofbiosphere reserves;

◗ research and capacitybuilding.

WNBR, Network Development andRegional Networks Support

◗ evaluation and proposal of newnominations for the WNBR;

◗ logistic support to the regional WNBRnetworks;

◗ fostering cooperative activities amongstMember States and individual biospherereserves.

EARTH SCIENCES

The Division of Earth Sciences contributes to the understandingof the earth’s comprehensive and complex system on a broadspectrum of scales in space and time on the one hand, and to‘wise’ management practices and sustainable development of theearth’s crust on the other.

Equally important components are capacity-building ingeosciences, education in earth sciences and their popularization,global monitoring of geo-indicators, space activities, study ofnatural hazards and disaster-risk reduction.

The Division provides the Secretariat of the InternationalGeoscience Programme, which is implemented in cooperationwith the International Union ofGeological Sciences (IUGS) andconstitutes, through UNESCO, theUN-wide core component forfundamental and applied geo-research, as well as globalmonitoring, geoscience and spaceeducation, and the popularization ofEarth Sciences (support toGeoparks).

EARTH SCIENCES

Disaster Reduction

◗ promotion of the assessment of natural hazardsincluding earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptionsand other hydrological risks;

◗ fostering of measures for disaster prevention andpreparedness;

◗ carrying out of these functions in the frameworkof the UN International Strategy for DisasterReduction.

International Cooperationand Capacity-Building inEarth Sciences and SpaceActivities

◗ International GeoscienceProgramme (IGCP);

◗ development of mechanisms forglobal environmental monitoringwithin the ‘Integrated GlobalObserving Strategy’ (IGOS);

◗ Space Education Programme andcoordination of outer spaceactivities.

COASTAL REGIONS AND SMALL ISLANDS

The Platform on Coastal Regions and Small Islands is a basis for buildingintersectorality within UNESCO. In a world faced with ever more complexproblems, exacerbated by globalization, holistic approaches are increasinglyimportant. It is also UNESCO’s main comparative advantage within the UNsystem. Member States have called for greater intersectorality within theOrganization, yet the gap between statements of intent and delivery has remaineddifficult to bridge.

Since its creation by the 1995 General Conference as a major UNESCO follow-up to the Rio Summit (1992) and the UN Conference on Small IslandDeveloping States (Barbados, 1994), the Platform has experimented andcontinues to experiment with intersectoral modes of operation in order to satisfyenvironmental, social, cultural and economic requirements when shaping coastalregion and small island development. Through this process, the Platform hasaccumulated an understanding of the barriers and potentialities for transformingUNESCO’s work culture.

In this respect, the Platform is unique within the Organization and is an exampleof how UNESCO can move step by step towards a more harmonious andproductive balance between sectoral and transverse modes of operation.

COASTAL REGIONS AND SMALL ISLANDS

◗ global platform for environmentally sound, socially equitable, culturallyrespectful and economically viable development in coastal regions andsmall islands;

◗ test-bed for intersectorality;

◗ leadership of two cross-cutting projects:

❑ Small Islands Voice; an inter-regional initiative focusing on smallislands in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Pacific regions;

❑ Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems; a project to strengthendialogue between indigenous and scientific knowledge holders toreinforce biodiversity conservation and enhance equity inresource governance.

OCEANOGRAPHY

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission promotes internationalcooperation and coordinates programmes in research, services and capacity-building, in order to learn more about the nature and resources of the oceanand coastal areas. Through the application of this knowledge theCommission aims to improve management practices and the decision-making process of its Member States, foster sustainable development andprotect the marine environment. In addition, The Commission strives tofurther develop oceans governance which necessitates strengthening theinstitutional capacity of Member States in marine scientific research and ofocean management.

The vision guiding the development of a Global Observing Ocean System isone of a world where the information needed by governments, industry,science and the public to deal with marine-related issues, includingenvironmental issues and the effects of the ocean upon climate, is supportedby a unified global network.

With the advances in oceanography from a science dealing mostly with localprocesses to one that is also studying ocean basin and global processes,researchers and a wide spectrum of users depend critically on the availabilityof an internationalexchange system toprovide data andinformation from allavailable sources.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION

Operational ObservingSystems

◗ monitoring and forecastingcapabilities within the globalocean (GOOS) and globalclimate observing systems(GCOS) needed for themanagement and sustainabledevelopment of the open andcoastal ocean;

◗ integrating and distributingoceanic observations;

◗ generating analyses, forecastsand other useful products.

Ocean Services

◗ development and strengthening of aglobal mechanism to ensure full andopen access to ocean data andinformation for all:

❑ International OceanographicData and Information Exchange(IODE);

❑ Ocean Mapping and the TsunamiProgramme.

Capacity-Building andTEMA

◗ capacity-building process (CB-TEMA) to link the IOC’sprogramme activities to existingand planned national and regionalprogrammes:

❑ Institutional capacity-building;

❑ Training;

❑ Education;

❑ Mutual Assistance in MarineSciences.

CB-TEMA is central to theoverall IOC strategy.

Ocean Science

◗ addressing scientific uncertainties forthe management of the marineenvironment and climate change;

◗ catalyzing and coordinatinginternational oceanographic research;

◗ communicating the results of theseinvestigations to the Member Statesof the IOC, the United Nations andthe general public.

REGIONAL OFFICES

REGIONAL BUREAU FOR SCIENCE IN

AFRICA

Block C, United Nations Office at NairobiUnited Nations Avenue, Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenyanairobi@unesco.org

The Office provides services to AfricanMember States in its cluster region(Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda) in all of UNESCO’s fields ofcompetence, but especially in scienceand technology, and coordinates theOrganization’s activities in sub-SaharanAfrica in these two areas. In all cases,the Office’s concern is to encourage andsupport, in Member States, initiativesthat contribute to achieving theobjectives of UNESCO’s programmesand to disseminating the Organization’sideals.

REGIONAL BUREAU FOR SCIENCE IN

THE ARAB STATES

8 Abdel Rahman Fahmy Street, Garden City,Cairo, Egypt 11511,cairo@unesco.org

In addition to its role as the RegionalBureau for Science in the Arab States,serving the needs of Arab State countriesin science and technology, this Office isthe Cluster Office for Egypt, Sudan andYemen and addresses the needs of thesecountries in the areas of Education,Communication and Information andCulture. The Office places great emphasison promoting intellectual cooperationamong Arab Member States and incontributing to their developmentthrough a number of major inter-disciplinary programmes and activities inUNESCO’s fields of competence incoordination with National Commissions,sister UN organizations, developmentaland donor organizations.

REGIONAL BUREAU FOR SCIENCE IN

EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

UNESCO House, Jalan Galuh (II) N°5, JakartaPusat 12110, Indonesiajakarta@unesco.org

As a Regional Bureau with particularresponsibility for science and technologywithin an Organisation committed toincreasing intersectoral activities, the Office, in consultationwith National Commissions and Member States of the region,builds educational, cultural, communication and genderperspectives onto the science sector based programmes andnetworks already established. The Jakarta Office is also theCluster Office for Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

REGIONAL OFFICES

REGIONAL BUREAU FOR

SCIENCE IN EUROPE

Palazzo Zorzi, Castello 4930Venice, Italyvenezia@unesco.org

UNESCO’s office in Venicepromotes and facilitates activities in science, technology andculture between the countries of Western, Central and EasternEurope, and seeks to strengthen cooperation between Europe andthe South Mediterranean countries. An important function is tofacilitate the application of knowledge and the mobilization ofskills for the solution or prevention of problems facing MemberStates at the regional level.

REGIONAL BUREAU FOR SCIENCE IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Edificio MERCOSUR, Calle Dr Luis Piera 1992, Montevideo, Uruguaymontevideo@unesco.org

The mandate of the Regional Bureau is to reinforce multilateral, technicalcooperation in science and technology in Latin America and the Caribbean, aspart of the regional strategy to stimulate sustainable development and a cultureof peace and tolerance in all countries of the region. This Office is the ClusterOffice for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay; it houses theOffices of the World Heritage Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean,and the Regional Adviser in Informatics and Telematics in the framework ofthe Information Society Division.

For additional information:

Natural Sciences SectorUNESCO

1, rue Miollis75732 Paris Cedex 15, France

More information inhttp://www.unesco.org/science

and at

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