From prestonh@home.com Thu Sep 2 14:35:25 1999 Received: from mxu4.u.washington.edu (mxu4.u.washington.edu [140.142.33.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id OAA57338 for ; Thu, 2 Sep 1999 14:35:24 -0700 Received: from mail.rdc1.wa.home.com (ha1.rdc1.wa.home.com [24.0.2.66]) by mxu4.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.09/8.9.3+UW99.08) with ESMTP id OAA00106 for ; Thu, 2 Sep 1999 14:35:23 -0700 Received: from C931275-A ([24.0.234.36]) by mail.rdc1.wa.home.com (InterMail v4.01.01.00 201-229-111) with SMTP id <19990902213510.EVEL22396.mail.rdc1.wa.home.com@C931275-A> for ; Thu, 2 Sep 1999 14:35:10 -0700 X-Sender: prestonh@mail X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0 Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1999 14:34:28 -0700 To: indknow@u.washington.edu From: "Preston D. Hardison" Subject: UNESCO Declaration on Science Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Message-Id: <19990902213510.EVEL22396.mail.rdc1.wa.home.com@C931275-A> [I apoligize for the cross-postings] United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Science for the Twenty-First Century: A New Commitment Budapest, 26 June - 1 July, 1999 Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge 1 July, 1999, Budapest, Hungary and the Science-Agenda Framework for Action These documents are available from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization http:// www.unesco.org/general/eng/programmes/science/wcs/index.htm The document in general discusses the social partnership science has with society, and touches on a number of important policy issues like women in science, informatio sharing and intellectual property rights, and indigenous and traditional knowledge. I will be happy to send the entire document in Word format (68kb) or PDF format if they request it. ------------------------------ Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge .. . . 25. that there are barriers which have precluded the full participation of other groups, of both sexes, including disabled people, indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities hereafter referred to as disadvantaged groups, 26. that traditional and local knowledge systems as dynamic expressions of perceiving and understanding the world, can make and historically have made, a valuable contribution to science and technology, and that there is a need to preserve, protect, research and promote this cultural heritage and empirical knowledge, .. . . 38. Intellectual property rights need to be appropriately protected on a global basis, and access to data and information is essential for undertaking scientific work and for translating the results of scientific research into tangible benefits for society. Measures should be taken to enhance those relationships between the protection of intellectual property rights and the dissemination of scientific knowledge that are mutually supportive. There is a need to consider the scope, extent and application of intellectual property rights in relation to the equitable production, distribution and use of knowledge. There is also a need to further develop appropriate national legal frameworks to accommodate the specific requirements of developing countries and traditional knowledge, sources and products, to ensure their recognition and adequate protection on the basis of the informed consent of the customary or traditional owners of this knowledge. Science-Agenda Framework for Action 2.2 Science, environment and sustainable development 32. Modern scientific knowledge and traditional knowledge should be brought closer together in interdisciplinary projects dealing with the links between culture, environment and development in such areas as the conservation of biological diversity, management of natural resources, understanding of natural hazards and mitigation of their impact. Local communities and other relevant players should be involved in these projects. Individual scientists and the scientific community have the responsibility to communicate in popular language the scientific explanations of these issues and the ways in which science can play a key role in addressing them. 33. Governments, in co-operation with universities and higher education institutions, and with the help of relevant United Nations organizations, should extend and improve education, training and facilities for human resources development in environment-related sciences, utilizing also traditional and local knowledge. Special efforts in this respect are required in developing countries with the co-operation of the international community. 3.4 Modern science and other systems of knowledge 83. Governments are called upon to formulate national policies that allow a wider use of the applications of traditional forms of learning and knowledge, while at the same time ensuring that its commercialization is properly rewarded. 84. Enhanced support for activities at the national and international levels on traditional and local knowledge systems should be considered. 85. Countries should promote better understanding and use of traditional knowledge systems, instead of focusing only on extracting elements for their perceived utility to the S&T system. Knowledge should flow simultaneously to and from rural communities 86. Governmental and non-governmental organizations should sustain traditional knowledge systems through active support to the societies that are keepers and developers of this knowledge, their ways of life, their languages, their social organization and the environments in which they live, and fully recognize the contribution of women as repositories of a large part of traditional knowledge. 87. Governments should support cooperation between holders of traditional knowledge and scientists to explore the relationships between different knowledge systems and to foster inter-linkages of mutual benefit. .. . . 93. UNESCO and ICSU should submit the Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge and Science Agenda - Framework for Action to their General Conference and General Assembly respectively, with a view to enabling both organizations to identify and envisage follow-up action in their respective programmes and provide to them enhanced support. The other partner organizations should do likewise vis-à-vis their governing bodies; the United Nations General Assembly should also be seized of the outcome of the World Conference on Science. Preston Hardison prestonh@home.com .