Staff Report of the 27th General Assembly of ICSU
September 2002 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Michael Clegg, Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences, led the U.S. Delegation to the 27th General Assembly of the International Council for Science (ICSU). Dr. Henry Metzger, Chair of the Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO), and Marti Rabinowitch, member of BISO, were also members of the U.S. delegation. BISO is the board within the National Academies charged with the responsibility of managing the institution's membership in ICSU. Wendy White, the director of BISO, staffed the delegation and prepared this summary report.

On three mornings during the General Assembly, BISO sponsored breakfast for all Americans registered for the meeting. The meetings provided an opportunity for the U.S. delegation to meet others from the United States, to answer their questions, and to discuss their concerns. Many of the participants came to Rio to represent scientific unions or other affiliates of ICSU so their perspective was most interesting.

Much change and much energy characterized this General Assembly. The most contentious key issues were discussed in several fora prior to the formal General Assembly and this strategy worked very well in giving all participants an opportunity to raise their concerns and discuss them among the peers. It also meant that the same information was presented at least twice, which assured that even those delegates who arrived late were able to fully participate in the decision making. The presentations from the ICSU Secretariat and Officers were very well prepared and they were linked to together with a common format and logo. This strategy was very effective in driving home the message that ICSU was a forward thinking, responsive international organization. Even the simple idea of putting all presentations for each session on a single laptop helped keep the meeting moving forward. The technology supported the meeting but did not drive it.

Scientific Fora
This was the second General Assembly for which ICSU organized scientific fora. The topics were: science for sustainable development; energy and sustainable societies; ensuring global access to scientific data and information; and capacity building for science. In addition, the hosts organized a very interesting session on science in Brazil.

1. Science for Sustainable Development
Following only three weeks after the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, ICSU delegates in Rio were eager to advance their role in organizing a global action plan for science and technology and sustainable development. As ICSU had already demonstrated its commitment to the political process, it organized this forum to further define the focus of a new ICSU initiative in this area. The session included presentations on: food security; global environmental change; biodiversity; and geohazards.

2. Energy and Sustainable Societies
Energy issues are crucial for the future of this planet. Several countries have suggested that ICSU initiate an energy program and some union members are already working on energy issues that cross many disciplinary borders. As considerable efforts have already been devoted to energy issues around the world, the focus of this forum centered on how ICSU could contribute to existing efforts and/or develop new areas of research and development. Presentations included: the role of science and technology in energy policy; science and technology for sustainable energy systems; challenges to developing countries; and challenges to the scientific community (bioenergy; fuel cells; and nuclear energy).

3. Ensuring Global Access to Scientific Data and Information
As technological advances dramatically increase the ability to obtain, store, and analyze data, the digital divide between the North and the South is increasing rapidly. In preparation for the UN World Summit on the Information Society (December 2003), the participants in this forum probed issues that are making scientific data and information more difficult to access—especially for developing nations. For example, research is increasingly being funded by the private sector, and organizations are intent on retaining ownership of their findings or generating revenue from intellectual property rights (IPR). In other cases, governments are looking for ways to commercialize data collected using public funds. At the same time, there is no consensus on how to pay for international and global monitoring systems. The topics discussed in this session included: collection, archiving and dissemination of global databases; the EU Directive on Legal Protection of Databases; standardization and access to biological data; should scientific information be free; the digital divide -- overcoming the knowledge gap; and information access in developing countries.

4. Capacity Building for Science
Nations around the world—both in the South and in the North—are experiencing a dramatic decline in the interest on natural sciences disciplines among young students. At the same time, a large proportion of the current generation of scientists is approaching retirement. To complicate matters further, scientists are being pulled in opposite directions: they need to specialize to compete in cutting-edge disciplinary research, yet broader approaches are needed to deal with problems relevant for society. ICSU is exploring various initiatives to strengthen and coordinate efforts among its partners to address the issues around developing scientific capacity in all countries. Topics of discussion at this session included: science teaching at primary and secondary levels; undergraduate training: specialization vs. interdisciplinarity; capacity building and the Third World; sustainability of scientific networks; and the challenges of institutional support.

5. Science in Brazil
This event, organized by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), provided a general overview of the state of the art of science in the country, analyzing the national institutional framework of science and technology, and discussing future perspectives for the sector. This symposium provided a good opportunity for scientists from abroad to become acquainted with research currently developed in Brazil. ABC used this occasion to present the third edition of Science in Brazil, a publication that has already catalyzed many international scientific partnerships.

National and Union Member Fora and the General Assembly
ISCU organized separate meetings for national and union members of ICSU, two-days prior to the start of the General Assembly. The union and national members also met in a joint session to discuss the role of national committees and the linkages between national and international activities. The topics discussed at these fora and at the subsequent General Assembly were:

• achievements and challenges, 1999-2002;
• ICSU's mission and the way ahead;
• identifying and prioritizing "emerging issues';
• the ICSU grants program;
• strengthening science in developing countries; and
• ICSU's role in developing and communicating science policy.

1. Achievements and Challenges
In both the national members forum and the General Assembly, Thomas Rosswall, Executive Director, Carthage Smith, Deputy Executive Director, Harold Mooney, Secretary General, Jane Lubchenco, President, and various other members of ICSU's Executive Board gave reports about the achievements of and challenges for ICSU. Mooney characterized the last three years as ones of substantial changes. ICSU, he said, is operating with new leadership, with a new organizational structure, in a new international milieu, with new staff, and with increased capacity. The strategic review and evaluation process, begun as a response to recommendations of the Assessment Panel (Schmitt report), has led to the conclusion that some standing bodies have completed their tasks. The General Assembly subsequently voted to dissolve the Committee on Science and Technology for Development (COSTED); the Scientific Committee on Water Research (SCOWAR); the Advisory Committee on Genetic Experimentation and Biotechnology (ACOGEB); and the Standing Committee on Responsibility and Ethics in Science (SCRES). ICSU will look for new, innovative ways to undertake programs in these areas. Mooney also mentioned that the next strategic review would be of ICSU's environment and sustainability programs, with an evaluation committee chaired by Robert Watson.

Under the leadership of an active Executive Board, ICSU has improved its communication with members. It has produced an ICSU Primer (An Introduction to ICSU) and has vastly improved the website. All Executive Board minutes are now posted on the web. Mooney added that ICSU still needs to find ways to improve communications with its members -- especially since the dissolution of the General Committee in 1999. ICSU is looking for ways to bring national and union members together between General Assemblies and it did hold, in February 2001, a meeting for the presidents of all Unions. The InterAcademy Panel serves the national members, to some extent. Its focus on building the capacity of national academies of science, however, does not resonate with all national members. There is only about a 60% overlap between the national members of ICSU and members of the IAP.

Mooney said that the Executive Board is still concerned with the fragmentation and proliferation of union members. Previous attempts to address the issue have not been successful but theExecutive Boardis determined and will establish an ad hoc committee to take on the task.

Rosswall said that, since the 1999 General Assembly, ICSU has engaged in more partnerships, has increased diversity, and has taken the recommendations of the Assessment Panel very seriously. It has responded to emerging challenges, secured greater visibility in the global science community, and has clarified its priority setting. The governance structure has been changed. The grants program has moved from block "entitlement" grants to peer-reviewed competitive grants. There is a new process for strategic reviews of all ICSU bodies and activities.

The formation of the Committee on Scientific Planning and Review was a critical step. This committee undertook the challenge of reforming the grants program and of identifying strategic partnerships for ICSU. It initiated a new methodology for the review process, starting with a strategic review of ICSU's Committee on Science and Technology for Development.

ICSU participated fully in the World Summit on Sustainable Development, developing for this conference ten policy reports (see list later in report). It formed excellent partnerships with the Third World Academy of Sciences, the InterAcademy Panel, the International Social Science Council, and the World Federation of Engineering Organizations.

ICSU faces several challenges. These include:

• Balancing the need to set priorities yet remain flexible;
• Developing an ICSU-wide consensus on strategies and priorities;
• Increasing program funding and developing linkages with the private sector;
• Improving communication with the membership and with policy makers;
• Developing criteria for the expansion of ICSU into new fields, while avoiding further fragmentation of the union members; and
• Optimizing ways of cooperation on critical concerns with social, medical, and engineering organizations.

2. ICSU's Mission -- the Way Ahead
Rosswall reviewed ICSU's revised mission statement, which has four major elements, described in more detail below.

Identify and address major issues of importance to science and society.
ICSU will undertake a meta-foresight exercise and dialog with the entire ICSU family to identify emerging issues. It will establish a strategic framework to address major priority areas that will become focus areas for scientific fora and for priority area assessments. It will also use its competitive grants program as an incubator for new ideas and as a way of identifying new program priorities. Rosswall stressed that ICSU will need to be strategic and creative in order to successfully balance long-term priorities with bottom-up ideas.

Promote the universality of science and the involvement of developing countries in international research.
ICSU will assess the future role of its Standing Committee on the Freedom in the Conduct of Science (SCFCS), given the new political climate in many countries. It will be more active in ensuring universal access to scientific data, information, and knowledge. It will also examine ways to embrace developing country scientists, including a new regional structure to replace COSTED, an ICSU-wide assessment of capacity building efforts, and scientific fora on capacity building.

Encourage interdisciplinary approaches.
ICSU will seek more opportunities to hold union and national member meetings between General Assemblies and will continue to plan scientific fora that focus on interdisciplinary topics. The CSPR has proposed inter-disciplinary assessments of ICSU activities and has changed the grants program to require that applications come from at least two different ICSU bodies. ICSU is also building partnerships with organizations representing the social, health, and engineering sciences.

Communicate science to different audiences.
ICSU has totally revamped its website and will continue to make improvements. It has hired an "IT network/Webmaster", Mustapha Mokrane, and a new communications officer, Marilyn Smith. Communications will be seen as an integral part of all future initiatives.

Rosswall also emphasized ICSU's new committee structure, which allows it to be more responsive. Policy committees, he explained, receive direct financial and secretariat support from ICSU. Interdisciplinary committees do not receive direct support and the support for joint initiatives depends on the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding. Ad hoc committees on specific issues receive financial and secretariat support from ICSU. Rosswall said that ICSU needed constructive input and support from all members, especially in the identification of members for the ad hoc committees. These committees will be charged with undertaking the strategic assessments of ICSO programs.

3. Identifying and Prioritizing Emerging Issues
ICSU believes that curiosity-driven science is a cultural fact in society; that science generates the knowledge for solving societal problems; that scientific knowledge should be shared in an equitable way; and that a science literate society is able to make better decisions. It recognizes that its mission has evolved since its founding in the 1930s and is thus taking major step to develop a new strategic plan. It will do this through foresight reports, such as the one commissioned from SPRU (Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex).

The authors of the SPRU report reviewed available national foresight surveys and made some very broad conclusions about clusters of scientific activities. They found a shift from physical to life and environmental sciences and a shift in the social contract of science with society. Their review found the priority emerging areas to be: genetic modification of foods and crops; pest control; biopharming; and intellectual property rights.

The SPRU report is only one of the inputs that ICSU will use in formulating a new strategy. It will also solicit union and national member advice; interact with interdisciplinary bodies, and carefully examine ICSU's current priorities. ICSU plans to develop a preliminary set of priorities by June 2003. These may be, for example, the development of new programs in energy or genomics. The Executive Board and then the full membership of ICSU will review these new priorities in light of questions:

1. What are the scientific developments that could have a major impact on society and the advancement of scientific knowledge in the next five to ten years?
2. What kinds of international collaboration or coordination are required?
3. Is there a unique role for ICSU?

Follow-on actions for ICSU could include workshops, statements or reports, education and capacity building initiatives; the setting of new science standards; new international programs, or the forwarding of the idea to the appropriate body.

4. The ICSU Grants Program
In the last few years, the ICSU grants program has evolved into a competitive program that supports new and innovative proposals and that encourages multidisciplinary projects. The current themes are: science and technology for sustainable development; capacity building in science education; dissemination of scientific and technical information; and the identification of emerging scientific issues. All grant applications are reviewed by the CSPR members and are ranked according to the their scientific quality, their relevance to the priority themes of ICSU, their cost-effectiveness and timeliness; and the capacity of the sponsoring organizations to accomplish the task. The recommendations of the CSPR are sent to the Executive Board for approval.

Currently, ICSU requires that the lead group on the application be an international scientific union. Starting with 2004 grant cycle, the lead can also be taken by interdisciplinary bodies or joint initiatives. Supporting applicants can be scientific associates or national members but again, starting in 2004, supporting applicants will have to provide written justification for their support.

During the General Assembly, delegates heard reports from current grant recipients. These included the following projects:

1999
Agenda for Research on Health and Environment (IGU/IHDP)
Inter-Union Bioinformatics Group (IUPAB/IUCr/IUBMB)
The IGBP Synthesis Project (IGBP)

2000
International Biodiversity Observation Year (DIVERSITAS)
Standardization and Dissemination (Internet) of Physico-Chemical Property
Electronic Datafiles (CODATA/ICSTI)
Psychology in a Multidisciplinary Environment (IUPsyS/IBRO/IGU)

2001
GM Foods for Development (IUNS/IUTOX)
Environmental Change in Peri-Urban Areas (SCOPE)

5. Strengthening Science in Developing Countries
During 2002, ICSU appointed a review committee to evaluate the Committee on Science and Technology for Development (COSTED). In short, the review found that COSTED had had little impact and that it had been hampered by a lack of resources and a failure to stay connected to the various members of ICSU. COSTED will, thus, be dissolved and ICSU has proposed a new strategy for including scientists from developing countries in its programs.

First, ICSU will establish a Policy Committee on Science and Technology for Development, chaired by Dr. Mohammed Hassan. This committee will provide vision and advice to the Executive Board. Its small membership will be drawn primarily from developing countries.

Next, ICSU proposes to establish regional offices that will become focal points for ICSU-related activities. These offices will be hosted in strong regional or national institutions and will have a full-time, scientific staff. These offices will enable ICSU to collect information on priority needs and to draw upon local scientific expertise to address regional problems. ICSU will provide $25,000 annually for each office but each office will also be asked to generate income from national members in the region, from the host institution, and from grants. ICSU will soon send a letter calling for bids to host these regional offices. India, which has been a generous host of COSTED, will be invited to transfer its support to a Regional Office for Asia.

6. Developing and Communicating Science Policy
Carthage Smith gave a presentation on ICSU's new communication strategy. He said that ICSU's mission is to stimulate and construct and active debate by serving as an authoritative and independent voice for international science. This role is essential for both "science and policy" and "policy for science." ICSU needs to develop communication strategies with its many audiences: its own policy and advisory committees; its national and union members; the wider scientific community; policy and decision-makers; and the general public. He suggested that communication with this last group could best be achieved by strengthening ties with the media.

7. Other Issues Discussed by the General Assembly
Science and Traditional Knowledge
As a follow on to the World Conference on Science and the 1999 ICSU General Assembly, the Executive Board had appointed a study group on science and traditional knowledge. The charge to this group was to carry out an analysis of the relationship between traditional knowledge systems and modern science and to give advice to ICSU on further action. The report of the study group was made widely available prior to the 2002 General Assembly. The debate centered not so much on the quality of the report (although some BISO members raised serious objections to the report at their meeting in September 2002) but on the actions, if any, that ICSU should take next. The Assembly was evenly divided among those who thought that ICSU should have nothing more to do with the topic and those that thought this was an appropriate topic for further activities. In short, it seemed as though the question was no longer one of how traditional knowledge systems should be recognized by scientists but rather how to avoid giving credence to pseudo-scientists. Although the report authors felt as if they had dealt with this question adequately, the sense of the assembly was clearly that there remained a serious risk for ICSU in becoming associated with the pseudo science movement. The UK and US delegations worked with the resolutions committee to draft a resolution that would be accepted by the assembly. The text was scrutinized closely by the assembly and attempts to change the language were voted down. The final resolution reads:

Resolution on Traditional Knowledge
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Noting the report of the Study Group on Science and Traditional Knowledge;
Acknowledging with gratitude the work done by the Chairman and Members of the Group in preparing the report;
Affirms the importance of traditional knowledge;
Further affirms its opposition to all forms of pseudo-science; and
Recommends that members of the ICSU family suggest concrete initiatives to the Executive Board which ICSU itself could undertake; and themselves take action appropriate to their own circumstances.

Priority Area Assessments
The CSPR has recommended that ICSU develop an assessment structure that reflects the major scientific priorities of ICSU -- a change from its current method of reviewing committees in isolation, on a six-year cycle. By conducting assessments across major themes, ICSU can do a better job of defining the relationships among ICSU family members and identifying gaps or overlaps in activities. The new assessment methodology will feed into ICSU's planning process as the input from the review committees may lead to new initiatives and contribute to the foresight exercises. ICSU has identified three areas for assessment: capacity building; data and information; and environment and sustainable development. Small ad hoc committees will be appointed for each area. As stated above, Robert Watson will chair the review committee on environment and sustainable development.

World Summit on Sustainable Development
ICSU was a very active participant in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and published a series on Science for Sustainable Development, which focuses on major issues that are relevant to science for sustainable development. Rosswall said that many of the reports in this series were prepared in collaboration with ICSU partners and all are meant to serve as a link between the scientific community and decision-makers. The series highlights the fundamental role science has played and will play in finding solutions to the challenges of sustainable development, examines experiences since the United Nations' Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and looks towards the future. It provides up-to-date knowledge, examines lessons learned, successes achieved, and difficulties encountered, while also outlining future research agendas and actions to enhance problem solving and good practices in sustainable development. The reports are listed below:

• Report 1: Report of the Scientific and Technological Community to the World Summit on Sustainable Development
  Report prepared by ICSU and the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) in cooperation with the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), International Council for Social Sciences (ISSC) and the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) for the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue at the 2nd session of the WSSD Preparatory Committee. 20pp.
• Report 2: Energy and Transport: Contribution of the Scientific and Technological Community to the United Nations' Commission on Sustainable Development
  Report prepared by ICSU and IUCN for the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on this topic organized at the 9th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. 20 pp.
• Report 3: Resilience and Sustainable Development
  Report prepared by an international group of scientists at the request of the Environmental Advisory Council to the Swedish Government. 37 pp
• Report 4: Science, Traditional Knowledge and Sustainable Development
  Based on a report from the ICSU Task Force on Traditional Knowledge in co-operation with UNESCO. 24 pp.
• Report 5: Science Education and Capacity Building
  Prepared by CCBS in co-operation with TWAS, the International Foundation for Science (IFS) and IAP. 32 pp.
• Report 6: Biotechnology and Sustainable Agricultural Development
  Prepared by ACOGEB. 48 pp.
• Report 7: Global Environmental Change and Food Provision: A New Role for Science
  Prepared by GECAFS. 20 pp.
• Report 8: Making Science for Sustainable Development More Policy Relevant: New Tools for Analysis
  Prepared by SCOPE and UNEP. 32 pp.
• Report 9: Science and Technology for Sustainable Development
  Report from the synthesis meeting sponsored by the Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability, TWAS and ICSU. 32 pp.
• Report 10: Biodiversity, Science and Sustainable Development
  Prepared by IBOY and DIVERSITAS.

Reports from Policy and Advisory Bodies

Decisions Regarding ICSU membership

Henry Metzger reported that the Committee on Governance has met once a year since the last Assembly and the recommendations in its report are the results of those meetings and of consultations by electronic means. The committee had reviewed applications for membership from: the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts; the Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Peru; and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan. All were elected to national membership by the General Assembly. In addition, the assembly approved the request from CONACYT, Mexico, to transfer membership to Academia Mexicana de Ciencias. Finally, the assembly voted in one new union member: the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Elections of Officers and Executive Board Members

Officers
Jane Lubchenco, President, U.S.
Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, Past-president, Japan
Ana Maria Cetto, Secretary-General, Mexico
Goverdhan Mehta, President-elect, India
David Parry, V-P Scientific Planning and Review, New Zealand
Peter Tyson, V-P External Relations, South Africa
Roger Elliott, Treasurer, U.K.

Members of the Executive Board

Resolutions
1. Response to Report of Assessment Panel

The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Noting the report from the Executive Board on implementation of the recommendations in the report of the ICSU Assessment Panel;
Expresses satisfaction with the considerable progress made since the 26th General Assembly; and
Requests the Executive Board to take note of the discussions during the 27th General Assembly and to implement further the recommendations of the Assessment Panel.

2. Traditional Knowledge
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Noting the report of the Study Group on Science and Traditional Knowledge;
Acknowledging with gratitude the work done by the Chairman and Members of the Group in preparing the report;
Affirms the importance of traditional knowledge;
Further affirms its opposition to all forms of pseudo-science; and
Recommends that members of the ICSU family suggest concrete initiatives to the Executive Board which ICSU itself could undertake; and themselves take action appropriate to their own circumstances.

3. Development of Strategic Priority Initiatives
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Expresses its satisfaction with the work of the CSPR; and
Noting the proposed procedure by the CSPR to identify new ICSU priorities;
Requests the CSPR to consult with the wider ICSU community in the process of priority setting, considering, inter alia, the SPRU studies, the reports from the Fora and relevant discussions during, and resolutions of, the General Assembly; and
Further requests the Executive Board to initiate detailed planning of initiatives with wide interest and support from the ICSU community, with special emphasis on areas of societal importance, and to report to the 28th General Assembly.

4. COSTED-IBN
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Expresses its appreciation to members of the COSTED Review Panel;
Further expresses its appreciation to the COSTED-IBN Executive Committee and Secretariat staff for the excellent work conducted over many years; and to the Indian National Science Academy and the Government of India for their generous support of COSTED since its inception;
Decides to dissolve the Special Advisory Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries and International Scientific Networks (COSTED/IBN); and to set up a Policy Committee on Developing Countries; and
Further agrees to establish ICSU Regional Offices for Developing Countries in Africa, Asia, the Arab Region, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

5. International Biodiversity Observation Year
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Aware that 2001 and 2002 were designated by DIVERSITAS as the International Biodiversity Observation Year (IBOY), and that an ICSU large grant in 1999 was instrumental in launching IBOY;
Noting that IBOY successfully addressed ICSU’s priorities; and
Further noting that the new networks, databases, web pages, publications and community of scientists with training in media communications built during IBOY can significantly support ongoing programmes in biodiversity and the science of sustainability;
Thanks all those involved in the International Biodiversity Observation Year for their work in building capacity for integrative biodiversity research and science communication; and
Urges ICSU members to help ensure that the networks and resources produced by IBOY are continued and used to strengthen ongoing programmes in biodiversity science, including, but not limited to, DIVERSITAS.

6. Follow up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Noting the request by the 26th General Assembly that the Executive Board should assess what steps ICSU should take in pursuing a science agenda for sustainability;
Taking into consideration the discussions that have taken place over the past year in preparation for and during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) (2002);
Further noting the decision by the CSPR to launch a strategic review of ICSU activities in environment and sustainable development and the presentations and discussion during the Scientific Forum on Science for Sustainable Development at the General Assembly;
Invites the Executive Board to appoint an ad hoc committee, in consultation with other partners, to develop a science plan for sustainable development and to identify topics for possible early action in consultation with ICSU's Scientific Unions, National Members and Interdisciplinary Bodies;
Decides that ICSU should provide the necessary financial and Secretariat resources to enable the planning group to undertake this task; and
Requests that a report be presented to the 28th General Assembly on progress made and the status of implementation of a new programme.

7. Energy and Sustainable Societies
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Realising that energy is a challenging domain of ongoing interdisciplinary research;
Recognizing that the production and utilisation of energy are strongly linked, in positive as well as negative ways, to all aspects of sustainability;
Noting that energy was identified as a vital issue in its own right at the World Summit on Sustainable Development;
Further noting that science and technology are essential for improving the ways in which energy is produced, utilized, stored and distributed, and that the development of sustainable energy policies requires consideration of many issues across multiple domains, such as the social, political, economic, cultural, and ethical;
Acknowledging that ICSU, as a politically independent, multidisciplinary global organization, is ideally suited, together with international partners, to provide scientific analyses and advice on energy issues for decision-makers in government, industry and society;
Recognizing that successfully addressing the complex set of energy issues requires the integration of existing knowledge from several domains, and the development of partnerships with organizations that are already active in the energy field, as well as organizations that have expertise in the social and behavioural sciences, and the humanities;
Requests that the Executive Board establish an ad hoc committee that will make an area assessment in preparation for a new ICSU initiative on energy and sustainability, develop a plan of action for ICSU, and report to the 28th General Assembly.

8. Ensuring Global Access to Scientific Data and Information
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Noting the tremendous impact of new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the acquisition, exploitation, processing, communication, storage and long-term availability and preservation of scientific data and information, calls on all ICSU members to maximize the use of ICT for the benefit of the scientific enterprise;
Emphasizing that an efficient and well functioning infrastructure for information and communication technology is of the utmost importance for science and the dissemination of data and information worldwide;
Accepts the recommendations of the IUBG Inter-Union Bioinformatics Group in relation to biological data;
Encourages all ICSU members to use the new possibilities to obtain greater control by the scientific community of the information chain, through use of alternative forms of publication of scientific articles; and
Further noting the special challenges encountered by developing countries in making optimal use of the new facilities,
Applauds the activities of the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) and similar programmes which make production of, and access to, data and information more available across the digital divide;
Encourages the relevant members of ICSU to identify the issues which the scientific community would wish to bring to the World Summit on the Information Society, and charges the Executive Board to ensure the timely input of the scientific community, in cooperation with appropriate partners, to this Summit; and
Requests that the Executive Board take all appropriate action to safeguard international databases and to ensure that full and proper access is maintained.

9. Capacity Building
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Recognizing the importance of capacity building as discussed in several fora and by many committees;
Encourages the ICSU Executive Board, ICSU Unions, National Members and Interdisciplinary Bodies to intensify their efforts in effecting partnerships within and beyond the ICSU family to strengthen capacity building, especially for developing countries, and to broaden outreach to teachers and young scientists.

10. Earth System Science Partnership
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Recognizing the importance for science and society of the evolution of the four ICSU Global Environmental Change Programmes (IGBP, WCRP, IHDP and DIVERSITAS) to a truly integrated Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) and of the Global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START), which are delivering significant scientific results regarding the causes and consequences of global change;
Noting the difficulties of the ESSP and START in generating the stable core financial resources required to perform their tasks of coordination, synthesis, integration, and communication of their scientific activities; and
Recalling Resolution 2 of the 26th General Assembly;
Requests the Executive Board to assist the ESSP and START by taking appropriate action to create a dialogue between the ICSU National Members, the funding bodies responsible for the contributions to the ESSP and START programmes, and the broader global change funding community in order to provide long-term, stable, core funding.

11. Water Research
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Expresses its thanks to the Members of the Scientific Committee on Water Research (SCOWAR) for their efforts;
Agrees to dissolve the Committee; and
Taking into account the overwhelming importance of water to the world,
Charges the Executive Board to develop a strategy for ICSU's involvement in this area.

12. Food Security
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Expresses its thanks to the Members of the Committee on Sciences for Food Security ;
Agrees to dissolve the Committee; and
Recognizing the significance of food security,
Requests the Executive Board to provide an innovative and integrative approach to this high priority scientific issue.

13. Observing Systems
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Recognizing that monitoring of global change is critical to the support of their programmes,
Urges all ICSU members to bring to the attention of the appropriate government agencies the need for environmental observations in the framework of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS) to meet observing standards for global change monitoring, and the need to improve research access to global data.

14. Membership and Structure of ICSU
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU,
Noting the recommendations in the ICSU Assessment Report that Unions representing engineering, medical and agricultural sciences be admitted, and noting the recommendation that criteria for membership be developed to avoid redundant representation of disciplines and to discourage fragmentation, especially in the biological sciences;
Further noting discussions during the Forum of Scientific Unions and during the Business Meeting of Scientific Unions;
Requests the Executive Board to establish an ad hoc committee to review the overall balance of scientific disciplines within ICSU, to provide guidelines for the acceptance of new Scientific Union Members, and to establish a more proactive mechanism with regard to National Membership. The ad hoc committee should present its preliminary findings to the meeting of Scientific Unions in 2004 for discussion and to the National Members for their input. The results of the review should be reported to the 28th General Assembly.

15. Expressions of Appreciation
The 27th General Assembly of ICSU
Expresses its deep gratitude to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, its President, Eduardo M. Krieger, the staff of the Academy and the members of the Local Organizing Committee for the excellent arrangements made for the ICSU meetings, for the generous support of representatives from developing countries, and for the warmth of the welcome extended to participants;
Extends its sincere thanks to the Officers of ICSU and the Members of the Executive Board for all their dedication and hard work in the service of ICSU over the last three years; and
Thanks the Secretariat of ICSU for its work during the last triennium and in the preparation of this Assembly.

Cooperation with Partner Organizations
The General Assembly heard reports from UNESCO, the Third World Academy of Sciences, the International Social Science Council, the International Foundation for Science, and the InterAcademy Panel.

Date and Place of Next General Assembly
The General Assembly accepted the bid from China to be the host of the next General Assembly, in September 2005.

Additional Information
Background documents prepared the General Assembly can be found on the ICSU website at www.icsu.org. You may also direct questions to:

Wendy D. White
Director
Board on International Scientific Organizations
The National Academies
Tel: 202-334-2807; Email: wwhite@nas.edu