International Issues

Academies Provide Free Scientific Information to Developing Nations

The National Academies now offer free online access in more than 100 developing countries to the reports of the Academies, as well as to journal articles from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The goal is to help developing countries tackle challenges such as disease, hunger, and economic transition with enhanced scientific knowledge.


U.S. Must Change Visa Policy for Foreign Scientists

The National Academies have joined more than 20 other education, science, and engineering groups in supporting changes to US visa policy. "Our visa processing system not only must provide genuine security against those who might do us harm, but also keep our borders open to the stream of scientific and technical talent that fuels our progress," the presidents of the academies said in a statement today.


Science and Technology Can Stimulate African Agriculture

A new InterAcademy Council report examines how science and technology can help boost agricultural productivity, profitability, and sustainability in Africa, ensuring that all Africans have access to safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs. The IAC, an organization created by 90 of the world's science academies, presented the report to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York City.


Alberts and Lu Elected Co-chairs of InterAcademy Council

The governing board of the InterAcademy Council has elected Bruce Alberts, president of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Lu Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as its co-chairs for the next four years. The world's science academies created the IAC in 2000 to mobilize the best scientists and engineers across the globe to advise international bodies — such as the United Nations and the World Bank — and other institutions.


NAS Council Opposes Boycott of Israeli Universities

The governing council of the National Academy of Sciences issued a statement reiterating its opposition to academic boycotts after a group of British professors proposed banning interactions with two Israeli universities. The council called the proposed boycott "especially unfortunate" given the success of a recently established Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization.


Global Partnerships Can Boost Russia's Ability to Combat Disease

The US and Russian governments should establish a joint commission on infectious diseases to identify promising research areas of global significance and to promote and evaluate collaborative activities, says a new report from the National Research Council. The United States can support Russia's efforts to revitalize its public health infrastructure by encouraging balanced scientific partnerships that are mutually beneficial.


Help for Foreign Scientists and Students after Katrina

Foreign scientists and students displaced by Hurricane Katrina now face special challenges. The National Academies have assembled a Web page detailing information on visas and lost travel documents, emergency housing, how to contact displaced people, academic assistance for uprooted students and professors, and hiring practices for hurricane evacuees.


Global Organizations Issue Statement on Worldwide Science Capacity

Leaders of several global scientific, engineering, and medical organizations -- including some in which the US National Academies participate -- called on government authorities and heads of state who attended a recent meeting at the United Nations to strengthen international capacity in science and innovation. The statement says strong leadership is needed to boost this capacity worldwide to achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals, which include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger.


African Science Academy Development Initiative

The National Academies' African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) hosted a meeting in Nairobi in early November to discuss "Harnessing Science and Technology Capacity." The initiative, supported by a 20 million-dollar grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was launched in 2004 to strengthen African academies' ability to inform government policymaking and public discourse with independent, evidence-based advice. The science academies of Nigeria, Uganda, and South Africa are the initial focal points for the initiative.


International Human Rights Day

December 10th marked the 57th annual celebration of International Human Rights Day, an occasion dedicated to honoring the fundamental rights and principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by the UN General Assembly in 1948. In a statement, the presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine emphasized "the importance of this remarkable document to people the world over, and to future generations." In 1976 the National Academy of Sciences created a Committee on Human Rights to fight in behalf of scientists, engineers, and health professionals around the world who are unjustly detained or imprisoned. The committee is also sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. It serves as the secretariat for the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies.


Virtual Science Library Can Enhance Iraq's Scientific Capacity

At a ceremony at the National Academies, US government officials and representatives from the scientific community unveiled the Iraqi Virtual Science Library, a project that gives Iraqi scientists, engineers, and university students access to cutting-edge scientific and technical information to foster improvements in that nation's higher education system and research base.


Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries

The National Academies' Transportation Research Board, Policy and Global Affairs Division, and Institute of Medicine have released a report on Improving Road Safety in Developing Countries: Opportunities for US Cooperation and Engagement. The report summarizes presentations and discussions at a January workshop that focused on sharp increases in road traffic-related deaths and injuries in developing countries. The workshop was designed to help government agencies assess the US response and to identify steps toward a more effective response. The report considers the diversity of US interests, the scope of activities of US agencies addressing this problem, and prospects for further US engagement.


World's Academies Urged to Support Women in S&T

The US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and other national academies of science are being urged in a new report from the InterAcademy Council to help reverse the underrepresentation of women in scientific and technical fields, as well as their low numbers among the academies' memberships. The council, based in Amsterdam, is an international organization that was created by 90 academies, including the NAS.


New Resource on Safe Drinking Water to Be Developed

The Marian Koshland Science Museum will develop a virtual, multimedia exhibit that explores solutions to the global shortage of safe drinking water. The project is made possible by a grant from the Global Health and Education Foundation.


Native Vegetables Could Help Solve Africa's Food Crisis

Greater effort to explore the potential of native vegetables in Africa could lead to enhanced agricultural productivity, more stable food supplies, and higher incomes in rural areas across the continent, a new National Research Council report says.


Conference Held for Project to Develop African Science Academies

Stronger African science academies can help save lives by informing public policies that are critical to food security on the continent, said organizers of the second annual international conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative, held the week of November 13-17 in Yaounde, Cameroon. The initiative is supported by a $20 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and administered by the US National Academies.


Request for input: Study on Emerging Technologies in Agriculture to Benefit Farmers in Africa and South Asia

The National Academies' Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources (BANR) is launching a study to identify new scientific knowledge and promising technology with the potential to transform the production capabilities of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. With a $955,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the study will, in its first phase, explore the technological horizon in disciplines ranging from agronomy and genomics to IT, materials science, chemistry, engineering, and other fields in search of innovations that can promote sustainable crop and animal production; the second phase will identify steps needed to develop the most promising ideas into field-testable agricultural applications. Several workshops will be held to gather information and identify synergies among scientific disciplines. BANR encourages the world's scientific and engineering communities to contribute ideas from the frontiers of their fields that may have beneficial applications for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Ideas may be sent to banr@nas.edu, attn: Michael Ma.


NAE Announces Winner of $1 Million Safe Drinking Water Challenge

Abul Hussam from George Mason University will receive the National Academy of Engineering's 2007 Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability. Hussam received the $1 million gold award for his SONO filter, a household water treatment system that removes arsenic from drinking water. The silver ($200,000) and bronze ($100,000) winners were also announced. Established in 2003 with a generous grant from the Grainger Foundation, the primary purpose of the prize competition is to accelerate the development and dissemination of technologies to enhance social and environmental sustainability for the benefit of current and future generations.


NAS Supports Access for Palestinian Scientists and Students

The governing council of the National Academy of Sciences issued a statement applauding recent efforts to relax stringent restrictions on Palestinian students and scientists who seek to study in Israel and the West Bank. The council stressed the continuing importance of international cooperation in science as an investment in peace.


NAS President, Vietnamese Official Sign Agreement

Ralph Cicerone, president of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Banh Tien Long, Vietnam's vice minister of education and training, signed a joint statement today to encourage mutual learning and cooperation between the two nations in science, technology, and education. Pham Gia Khiem, Vietnam's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, also attended the ceremony.


Science Academies Call for International Action on Climate Change, Global Health

Today the science academies of the G8 countries, as well as China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa, issued statements urging leaders worldwide to take action on two pressing global challenges. To mitigate and adapt to climate change, nations must begin a transition to being "low-carbon societies," a shift that will require energy-saving changes in all sectors -- from housing to transportation to industry -- and the development of a range of clean energy sources. Meeting global health challenges, such as infectious disease outbreaks and the rising incidence of lifestyle-linked diseases such as diabetes, will require stronger collaboration among nations, as well as the strengthening of their health systems and health work force.

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African Science Academy Conference

The fourth annual conference of the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) met in London, where participants discussed how independent, expert advice from science academies can inform policy decisions and public discourse. The goal of ASADI is to strengthen African academies' ability to deliver such advice in their countries.

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The 2nd International Forum on Biosecurity: Summary

The 2nd International Forum on Biosecurity, held in Budapest, Hungary on March 30 - April 2, 2008, represents the efforts of a number of individuals and organizations, over the last five years, to engage the international community of life scientists in addressing how to reduce the risk that the results of their work could be used for hostile purposes by terrorists and states.

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For additional information visit The National Academies Subject page.