10. IUPAC ACTIVITIES IN LESS -DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
IUPAC's international role bears a scientific and moral responsibility
to help develop the scientific, educational, and professional training
infrastructure in less-developed countries. IUPAC
held a joint meeting with the African Association for Pure and Applied
Chemistry in Durban, Republic of South Africa in July 1998, on
Chemistry in the Development of Africa, to discuss areas of collaboration.
This meeting was organized by Professor P.S. Steyn, member of the
Executive Committee, for whose leadership I am grateful.
This fruitful and most instructive meeting discussed human capital
development, research infrastructure, reduction of brain drain, bridging
the gap between donors and less-developed countries, clean chemical
industry, and the environment. In addition to current IUPAC programs
for less-developed countries, the meeting initiated an AAPAC-IUPAC
joint collaboration in the planning of an electronic communication
highway for Africa. One tangible result of this collaboration has
been the creation of a web site for the African Network for Valorization
of Plant Materials. We have provided server space and technical assistance
to help the network set up its web site <http://www.iupac.org/links/vpma/index.html>.
The Union sponsored a report by Dr. Chris Garbers, in partnership
with UNESCO, on the state of Chemistry in Africa. This
report has been extensively distributed to IUPAC members and other
interested international organizations. Another joint project with
UNESCO is the funding of fellowships for students from third world
countries to study for six months at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for
Advanced Scientific Research in India.
A new initiative to promote sponsorship of IUPAC Conferences in developing
countries will be discussed by the Bureau at Berlin. This initiative
will provide funds to help countries that often cannot hold major
international conferences to do so. Holding an international conference
is an excellent way to help scientists in developing countries maintain
the contacts that are a necessary part of participating at a high
level in modern chemistry. It also enables young scientists to participate
in a major international conference, an opportunity many of them rarely
receive.