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Minutes of 40th IUPAC Council Meeting
13-14 August 1999, Berlin, Germany


 

6. Statutory Report of President on State of Union
President Jortner addressed highlights from his State of the Union Report. He noted that the two years since the last General Assembly have been active ones for IUPAC in the realms of:

  1. Science policy
  2. Advancement of research
  3. Scientific-industrial activities
  4. Continuing activities in contributing to the language of chemistry
  5. Activities of international societal impact
  6. International service of chemistry

The Goals and Strategic Plan adopted by the Union provide an overall direction to the Union's activities. The goals are broad and very ambitious; they provide targets toward which the Union should strive.

The President then reviewed comments by past Presidents of the Union, starting with President Tiselius' State of the Union address in 1953, regarding the need for changes in the organization of the Union's scientific work. He then noted that the changes being proposed to the Council were the result of recommendations from the Strategy Development and Implementation Committee, the Committee on Project Evaluation Criteria, the Executive Committee, the Bureau, input from many members of IUPAC bodies, NAOs, and distinguished chemists from outside IUPAC assembled in meetings in four areas of the globe.

President Jortner noted that the Bureau had overwhelmingly approved the program being presented to the Council today. The program developed by the Bureau is a holistic program, all of whose parts are necessary for the accomplishment of the goals of the program. The integrated program consists of major changes in the responsibilities of the Division Committees, in the project approval process, and in the future function of Commissions. The Secretary General will describe the details of the program later in the Agenda.

What will these changes accomplish? They will help the Union to:

  1. revitalize its scientific activities;
  2. ensure the selection of only high-quality projects to bear the IUPAC label;
  3. encourage participation by the worldwide chemistry community;
  4. optimize the use of IUPAC's limited financial resources;
  5. simplify management and accountability.

Steps have been taken to implement many of the components of the integrated program. These include the establishment of a Project Committee and an Evaluation Committee, under the chairmanship of Prof. G. den Boef and Prof. G. M. Schneider, respectively. Prof. Jortner expressed his appreciation that Prof. Den Boef and Prof. Schneider had taken on these important assignments. The President expressed his gratitude for the excellent work done by the Division Presidents on implementation. The President also noted that the proposed changes do not represent a discontinuation of the high-quality work being done in the Union, but rather establishment of a proper framework for its effective perpetuation. President Jortner then commented on the Policy Statement (see Attachment 1) adopted on the Bureau, which addressed concerns that had been expressed regarding the continuation of certain aspects of the Union's scientific work.

The President commented that this Congress would be the first to be guided fully by the principles adopted by the Bureau based on the recommendations of Prof. Modena and himself. These recommendations were intended to make IUPAC Congresses a central scientific event for the global chemistry community.

As part of the Union's efforts to broaden its geographical base, a series of meetings has been held (as noted above) in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. These efforts will continue with a meeting in South America to be arranged in conjunction with the Latin American Chemical Congress in Lima, Peru in 2000.

Prof. Jortner noted that the Vice President's Critical Assessment had been included in the materials distributed to the delegates. The VPCA contains a number of proposals for action, which have been discussed by the Bureau and which will be mentioned in connection with specific agenda items during the Council meeting.

The President concluded by thanking the NAOs for their very useful comments during the development of the integrated plan. He then expressed his special thanks to Dr. Hayes, Dr. Becker, and the heads of IUPAC bodies for their dedicated work in developing and implementing the new concepts for the management of the Union's scientific work.

IUPAC should follow the principles of:

  1. openness to the fast expansion of the borders of the chemical sciences;
  2. response to conceptual and structural changes in chemical research and technology;
  3. perpetuation of interdisciplinary unification, high quality, relevance, and the global dimension in activities;
  4. contribution to the globalization of the scientific endeavor;
  5. recruiting "Human Capital" for IUPAC;
  6. adherence to the principles, norms, values, and ethics of science.

The President then reminded the delegates that it is by the expertise of many hundreds of volunteers that the work of the Union is done and chemistry is served.


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