WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?

HOW TO GET INVOLVED!

PARTNERSHIPS

Since its proclamation by UNESCO in 2001, World Science Day for Peace and Development has generated many concrete projects, programmes and funding for science around the world. The Day marks an occasion to mobilize all actors around the topic of science for peace and development – from government officials to the media to school pupils.

The UNESCO Recommendation on Science upholds the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - that everyone has the right to participate in and benefit from science - and provides a useful checklist of political and institutional requirements to ensure access to science education, and fundamental rights such as the right to be a scientists, to protect intellectual property, to share scientific advancements and accademic freedom.

By linking science more closely with society, science is made accessible to all and broadens our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home. It becomes also a more solid stepping-stone towards making our societies more sustainable. The Day has also helped foster cooperation between scientists living in regions marred by conflict, one example being the UNESCO-supported creation of the Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization (IPSO).

Basic research is driven by curiosity. Also known as discovery research, owing to its emphasis on the quest for knowledge rather than commercial applications, basic research has led to breakthroughs that have spawned not only new technologies but even entirely new fields of science like genomics. Some of these discoveries were even accidental!

From the universe expanding to the phones in our pockets, science is everywhere., The celebration helps us remember this fact and offers an opportunity for everyone to engage in scientific debates and activities.

• Strengthen public awareness of the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies

• Promote national and international solidarity for shared knowledge and scientific cooperation

• Renew national and international commitment for the use of science for the benefit of societies

• Draw attention to the challenges faced by science and raising support for scientific endeavours

• Make Science accessible to all

• Mobilize all actors around the topic of science for peace and development

• Link science more closely with society

• Highlight the significant role played by basic sciences in advancing knowledge

• Foster cooperation between scientists

• Organize, workshops, seminars and exhibits with the participation of Civil Society Organizations, Scientific Boards, Science council and societies, Non-Governmental Organizations; Scientists, Biologists, Medical Researchers, Environmentalists, climatologists, Zoologists and the academia.

The World Science Day for Peace and Development is hosted by the UNESCO, the International Science Council (ISC), the World Federation of Public Health Associations, the World Forestry Congres, the World Health Organizatio (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Soil Science Society of America, the Society of Biology (UK), the Society for Ecological Restoration International, the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Science and Technology, Australia, the Science Council of Japan, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, the Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, the Organization of Biological Field Stations, the New York Academy of Sciences, the Nicaraguan Academy of Sciences, the Nigerian Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, New Zealand, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Research Council, the National Science Foundation, the Natural Environment Research Council, UK, the Natural Science Collections Alliance, the National Academy of Sciences, United States of America, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers, the National Association of State Foresters, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Council of Engineers Australia, International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences, the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, the International Union for Quaternary Research, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, the Islamic World Academy of Sciences, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and many others.