Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Annual Report 2011 ICSU ROAP Office ICSU Regional Office for Asia & Pacific, 902-4, Jalan Tun Ismail, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA, Tel : +603 26984192 Fax : +603 26917961 Email: [email protected] Strengthening international science www.icsu.org/asia-pacific for the benefit of society ICSU Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific Annual Report 2011 p.I ICSU Vision Founded in 1931, the International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization The long-term ICSU vision is for a world where science is used for the benet of all, excellence in science representing a global membership that includes both national scientic bodies (120 National Members is valued and scientic knowledge is effectively linked to policy-making. In such a world, universal and representing 140 countries) and International Scientic Unions (30 Members). The ICSU ‘family’ also equitable access to high quality scientic data and information is a reality and all countries have the includes upwards of 20 Interdisciplinary Bodies - international scientic networks established to address scientic capacity to use these and to contribute to generating the new knowledge that is necessary to specic areas of investigation. Through this international network, ICSU coordinates interdisciplinary establish their own development pathways in a sustainable manner. research to address major issues of relevance to both science and society. In addition, the Council actively advocates for freedom in the conduct of science, promotes equitable access to scientic data and information, and facilitates science education and capacity building. Mission ICSU mobilizes knowledge and resources of the international science community for the benet of society, ICSU ROAP to: The ICSU Regional Ofce for Asia and the Pacic (ROAP) was inaugurated on 19 September 2006 by the t JEFOUJGZBOEBEESFTTNBKPSJTTVFTPGJNQPSUBODFUPTDJFODFBOETPDJFUZ then Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, Y.A.B. Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak. The Ofce promotes the t GBDJMJUBUFJOUFSBDUJPOBNPOHTUTDJFOUJTUTBDSPTTBMMEJTDJQMJOFTBOEGSPNBMMDPVOUSJFT development of science throughout Asia and the Pacic and helps strengthen the voice of developing t QSPNPUFUIFQBSUJDJQBUJPOPGBMMTDJFOUJTUTJOUIFJOUFSOBUJPOBMTDJFOUJåDFOEFBWPVS SFHBSEMFTTPGSBDF country scientist in international science. It aims to ensure that scientists of the region become involved in citizenship, language, political stance or gender the work of ICSU that are especially relevant for Asia and the Pacic. t QSPWJEFJOEFQFOEFOU BVUIPSJUBUJWFBEWJDFUPTUJNVMBUFDPOTUSVDUJWFEJBMPHVFCFUXFFOUIFTDJFOUJåD community and governments, civil society, and the private sector ICSU Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific Annual Report 2011 p.II ICSU is a convenor, facilitator, and broker, providing a neutral platform on which scientists and other stakeholders can come together to agree on common approaches and actions, which they themselves then implement. The strength of ICSU is in both the individuals that it involves and the networks and organizations that it works with. Bréchignac and Lee 2011 ICSU Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific Annual Report 2011 p.1 Message from the Director This year marks another milestone in the history of ICSU. The agreement between the Government of Malaysia and ICSU for hosting the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) signed in September 2006 came to its conclusion after five years. Negotiations for a supplementary agreement to continue the hosting arrangements for another five years have been successfully concluded. This will enable the Regional Office to continue working based at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, with full support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, until September 2016. We thank the host government and the Academy for their support. The year has been filled with many of the usual governance and planning meetings and workshops. The role of ROAP in spearheading the series of ICSU-UNESCO Rio+20 Science and Technology Workshops in April, was a significant contribution to the development of the Rio+20 process in all the regions of the world. These workshops ensure participation of the scientific community in the Rio+20 process, and will help ensure that the voice of the scientific community is heard in UNCSD in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. The other major contribution of ROAP to the scientific community in Asia and the Pacific this year has been the 22nd Pacific Science Congress in Kuala Lumpur in June. The Congress was attended by almost 800 scientists from 48 countries and more than 250 scientists gave presentations. In addition, 46 symposia and 2 workshops were organised as part of the Congress. ROAP organised a symposium on The Health Challenges of Urbanization in the Asia-Pacific Region to highlight research needs to address the urban health challenge in a more holistic way using the systems approach. The ROAP science plan on Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment was launched at the symposium by Professor Zakri Hamid, the Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia, and ICSU Executive Board Member who is also a member of the ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific. Committee members Ali Moosavi-Movahedi, Jaime Montoya and Zakri Hamid rotate off the Committee at the end of the year as does Bruce McKellar, the Chair of the Committee. I thank them for their contributions to ICSU ROAP and wish them all the best. I also thank the staff of ROAP for their excellent work during the year. Mohd Nordin Hasan ICSU Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific Annual Report 2011 p.2 Message from the Chairman One could say that, for the ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and for the ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific, 2011 was the end of the beginning. The first 5 year term of the Office, hosted by the Government of Malaysia ended in September 2011, and its second 5 year term began, with a significant increase in the budget, from both the Government of Malaysia and from ICSU. We look forward to the next phase of the work of the Office, moving from planning to implementation. On behalf of all of the national members of ICSU in the region, I warmly congratulate the Director and the staff of the office on this great achievement. The major scientific activities of the Office and the Committee in 2011 were • The production of the Science Plan on Health and Wellbeing in a Changing Urban Environment, which was launched at the Pacific Science Congress in Kuala Lumpur in June. The Science Planning Group has, in its recommendations, challenged the Regional Office to assist in the construction of a collaboration in the region which could use a systems approach to study health and well being in one of the urban areas in the Asia Pacific region, as a model of the utility of the insights to be gained from this holistic approach. The Science Plan will guide the Office forward to meet this challenge. • An involvement in the regional planning process moving towards the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012. We started with the ICSU-UNESCO Rio+20 Regional Workshop on 16 to 18 April, and reported on our recommendations to the International Forum for Sustainable Asia and the Pacific 2011 New Asia-Pacific Perspectives towards Rio+20 in Yokohama on 26 and 27 July, and then to the Asia Pacific Major Groups Workshop and Regional Preparatory Meeting, in Seoul 16 to 20 October. It became clear as we worked through this process that, although the scientific and technological community understands that o the continued use of the earth and its ecosystem as if it were an infinite source of resources and a boundless sink for our waste is leading to a situation in which the planet will not be able to continue to support us, and that o these resources are being used in such a way that many people in the region, are living in extreme poverty, we have not been successful in convincing the population in general of the gravity and the urgency of the need to move both developed and developing nations to sustainable development. Achieving timely and significant outcomes of the UNCSD will be an important and challenging task for all concerned. Of the 2011 Committee members, Jaime Montoya , Ali. A Moosavi-Movahedi and A H Zakri have completed their terms on the Committee. I thank them for their energetic and wise contributions. I also thank the continuing members of the committee for their contributions to our deliberations. I am confident that they and the new members of the Committee, under the leadership of the new Chair, Hong-Kum Lee, will sagely guide the Director and the office as they move through the next phase of the development of the ROAP. I wish them well in that task. Bruce J. McKellar ICSU Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific Annual Report 2011 p.3 2011 Event Register DATE EVENT 24 – 25 February 3rd Meeting of the Science Planning Group on Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 16 – 18 April ICSU-UNESCO Rio+20 Regional Science and Technology Workshop in Asia and the Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 18 – 19 April 4th ICSU Regional Consultation for Asia and the Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 16 & 20 April 11 th Meeting ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 21 April Editorial Meeting of the Science Planning Group on Health and Wellbeing in the Changing Urban Environment, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia