Association Affairs: Pacific Science Association

I. Updates

The 12th Pacific Science Inter-Congress

The 12th Pacific Science Inter-Congress will be held from 8–12 July 2013 at the campus of the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Suva, Fiji. USP hosted the 8th Inter-Congress in 1997, and is working with PSA and counterpart institutions in French Polynesia and New Caledonia in order to build upon the outstanding success of the 11th Inter-Congress in Tahiti in 2009. Planning is currently underway on the Inter-Congress theme, subthemes, symposia, and keynote speakers.

More information on the Fiji Inter-Congress can be found on the PSA website: http://www.pacificscience.org/congress2013.html.

II. Announcements

1. Official Resolutions of the 22nd Pacific Science Congress

These resolutions are endorsed by the Pacific Science Association (PSA), the International Council for Science (ICSU) and the Academy of Sciences, Malaysia (ASM) as the organizers of the 22nd Pacific Science Congress held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 14–17 June 2011. This document is intended to lay out important general directions for the roles, growth and development of science in Asia and the Pacific in the 21st Century, and reflects the commitment and strong engagement of the organizers in ensuring that science develops sustainably and equitably in the Asia-Pacific region. As in other resolutions it is normative and could be adapted to national or regional specificities and serve many different purposes.

• The Organisers of the 22nd Pacific Science Congress:

  • Recalling the theme of the Congress “Asia-Pacific Science in the 21st Century: Meeting the Challenges of Global Change;” recognizing the critical role of science, technology and innovation in developing solutions for the problems facing the world today; and for the development of nations in an ever changing world,

  • Recognizing that the countries of the Asia-Pacific region are expected to be major contributors to scientific research within the next 25 years,

  • Acknowledging that science is inherently global, and international collaboration and cooperation is essential to successful outcomes, and

  • Stressing that science must be used for the benefit of society and all nations in Asia and the Pacific have the responsibility to contribute to and benefit from scientific efforts,

  • Calls upon the scientific community, governments, the business and industry community, non-governmental and community-based organisations in Asia and the Pacific and elsewhere to:

    • • Recognize that science, technology and engineering have critical roles to play in developing solutions for the problems facing the Asia-Pacific region today and in the future. A new focus on human security is needed alongside concerns for national security. Human security focuses on the full spectrum of individual livelihoods and community well-being. These are being challenged increasingly by the interconnected problems of climate change, food and energy, as well as the complex and wide-ranging obstacles to growth and development in Asia and the Pacific, with aspects that are unique to the region. More holistic, comprehensive and integrative mind-sets are needed to fully develop and implement realistic and practical solutions. Research applications are especially needed in climate science, biodiversity and ecosystem services, marine science and oceanography, earth system science and integrated disaster risk management, population and urbanization, agriculture and water resource access, new energy technologies, sustainable resource use, and human health and well-being. These needs are particularly acute in urban areas where population growth is increasingly concentrated. More inclusive approaches to research will enhance the role of science in the emerging “green economy” and in institutional reforms necessary for human security.

    • • Increase and improve the involvement of scientists in the communication of science to the general public. The scientific community has a responsibility to understand public attitudes toward science and technology and to engage in public discussions. The use of new communication tools and media such as social media creates unprecedented opportunities to link scientists and their work to the non-scientific community, and to disseminate scientific research findings and their potential application. Scientists should embrace these new media technologies.

    • • Improve the development of critical thinking skills across society. Improved public access to information also increases access to misinformation. Enabling people to better evaluate various truth claims about the empirical world...