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Ten years ago in order to promote the quality of the dialogue on the new roles and challenges of scientific knowledge within today's global society, in partnership with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Government, UNESCO and ICSU organised the first World Conference on Science in Budapest, Hungary in 1999. Encouraged by the success of the World Conference on Science, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences initiated a series of events called World Science Forum taking place biannually in Budapest. As in 2001 UNESCO assigned the day of the 10^th of November to serve as "World Science Day", a day dedicated to science and scientists, biannual World Science Fora take place in Budapest on and around the World Science Days of every odd year. It provides global forum for dialogue among leading scientists, policy-makers, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions and research bodies, leaders of culture and industry, and the general public as well. Furthermore by this event the issue of knowledge and science gets international publicity. More than 1000 scientists, politicians, policy-makers and journalists had participated in the last three Fora.

 

 

 

Each year focuses on special issues. This year the Forum will focus on “Knowledge and Future”. This symbolises the great role of science regarding the formation of our future. The organizers offer a versatile program. The opening of the Forum will contain a presidential panel, with the participation of several heads of state from all continents. The “retrospective” plenary will survey the achievements both in the field of science and that of science policy since the 1999 World Conference on Science. The “moving forward” plenary, in turn, will look into the long-term prospects of science and concurrent policy challenges during the coming years. In both sessions leading science politicians, decision makers and Nobel Laureate scientists will deliver the keynote lectures from all over the world.

The thematic sessions of the Forum will tackle burning issues related to the role of science in the global society of the 21st century, including the sustainability of science funding, the future generations of scientists, science and ecosystem services, science and late technologies, science diplomacy for policy and peace. Special sessions deal with the role of women in sciences, science sustainability in nature and the relationship of youth with science.

The Forum itself will attract several global science events, taking place in the venue of the Forum in conjunction with the WSF. Among others, the Third World Academy of Science (TWAS) will have its annual meeting on 2-3 November. On 4 November science and education ministers of the G77 countries will convene in Budapest. The International Union of Academies will organise a symposium on human dignity. The World Academy of Young Scientists will hold its governing board meeting, as does the Israeli-Palestine Science Organization (IPSO) and the International Science, Technology and Innovation Center of the G77+China group. As it is already a tradition of the World Science Fora, members of parliamentary research, science and education committees will also have their meeting in Budapest.

And last but not least, two major international jubilee meetings will complement the festive events: the International Year of Astronomy and the Darwin Year will be celebrated by scientific conferences.

For further information please visit the official website of the event: www.sciforum.hu