NEPAD Agency receives a boost of US$ 500,000 from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to support the work of small-holder farmers in Africa. For more information, please download the document

new partnership for Africa development

The TWOWS Fourth General Assembly and International Conference : Women Scientists in a Changing World was held on 27 - 30 June 2010 at the Beijing International Convention Center (BICC), Beijing, China, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Over 600 participants attended from 55 countries to present papers and hold discussions on the scientific contributions of women in four areas : Women Scientists and Frontiers of Sciences ; Women Scientists and Global Change ; Women, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Leadership Capacity ; and Gender Mainstreaming in the Global Scientific Community. A Young Women Scientists’ Forum was also featured as part of the Conference.

The Conference was opened by Xi Jinping, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, and leading scientists and dignitaries from around the world including Naledi Pandor, Minister of Science and Technology, South Africa ; Sharon Hrynkow, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science, US State Department, Yongxiang Lu, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Mohamed Hassan, Executive Director of TWAS, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World.

The Fourth General Assembly held at the same time produced several key results for the Organization, introducing changes which will better position it to address current global challenges and opportunities to support its emergence as the leading organization of its kind :

1) The name of the organization has been changed to Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSDW), to better reflect its focus on promoting both the greater participation of women in science, technology and innovation as well as the use of science, technology and innovation to better the lives of both women and men in the developing world.

2) A new President has been elected : Prof. Xin Fang is a research professor and member of the Presidium of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Supporting her on the Board are :

· Africa : Dolly Ahbor Ighoroje (Nigeria), Vice President ; Esi Awuah (Ghana), Member

· Arab States : Samira Omar (Kuwait), Vice President ; Rokhsana Abdul Raman (Yemen), Member

· Asia and the Pacific : Farida Habib Shah (Malaysia), Vice President ; Sudha Nair (India), Member

· Latin America and the Caribbean : Mayra de la Torre (Mexico), Vice President ; Miriam Diaz (Venezuela), Member.

3) A revised set of statutes was presented and approved by the General Assembly.

4) The Beijing Statement (http://www.twows.org/about-twows/beijing-statement) was approved by the Conference and released on June 29, 2010. In view of the commitments in the Platform for Action of 1995 Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women, and the recommendations in Para 90 of the Framework for Action of the World Conference on Science held in Budapest in 1999, the participants called on governments and the international community to recognize, document and highlight the contributions made by women to science, technology, engineering and innovation and to take steps in policy and programming to ensure the full participation of women and girls in all aspects of science and technology.

More information is available from the OWSDW website at www.twows.org.

Grand Bassam Appeal for Peace

African Association of Women in Geosciences

 Considering that Geosciences are interested in the knowledge and the sustainable management of natural resources and hazards ;
 Considering that the geological resources in Africa are supposed to be a source of wealth for the African people, but are however, a source of different conflicts ;
 Considering that instead of our limited number on the continent, women geoscientists are participating through education and scientific research to the socio-economic development of their nations ;
 Considering that geoscientists have the potential to assist African governments in implementing major projects for sustainable development ;
 Considering that there is no sustainable development without peace.

We, the participants to the 5th conference of the African Association of Women in Geosciences “AAWG” which was organized from the 11th to the 17th April 2010 at Grand Bassam under the theme « Women and Geosciences for Peace » unanimously :
• Encourage African women to be more involved in Geosciences ;
• Agreed on the necessity of a sustainable peace on the continent in general and in Cote d’Ivoire in particular ;
• Call the Cote d’Ivoire people and the other African countries to work through their activities and mediation, for the re-establishment of an urgent peace and harmony in a united Côte d’Ivoire, for a rapid socio-economic development.

Please find enclosed a job announcement for the position of Science Officer at ICSU. For more informaion, please download

Science officer_ICSU

C’est avec une profonde émotion que nous avons appris la décès de notre collègue Abdelhay Belkabir, géologue au Département de Géologie de la Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de l’Université Cadi Ayyad de Marrakech (Maroc). En ce moment de deuil, nous tenons au nom de tous les membres de l’Association Africaine des Femmes en Géosciences à adresser à sa femme Solange et à ses fils Mehdi et Younes le témoignage de notre vive sympathie et l’expression de nos condoléances attristées.

Ezzoura Errami AAWG, Présidente

Abdelhay, tu nous quitté très tôt mais tu nous as laissé le bel exemple d’un grand homme scientifique, intègre, modeste, courtois, discret et généreux. Ton corps n’est plus avec nous, mais ton âme sera à jamais gravée dans nos cœurs. Que le paradis soit pour toi l’endroit le plus sur et que grand Dieu nous aide à supporter cette douloureuse circonstance et que nous soyons le meilleur support moral pour Solange , Mehdi et Younes
Nous sommes à Dieu et à Lui nous retournerons

Bourjoini Yamina.
FST, Marrakech

The African Geoparks Network “AGN” was initiated during the pre-congress of the fifth conference of the AAWG held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in May 2009. The AGN aims to identify, promote, and advise on the importance and preservation of geological sites in Africa and Arab regions in collaboration with other stakeholders. This initiative is supported by UNESCO, IUGS, GSAf. In that Framework, the AAWG and the AGN in collaboration with UNESCO Cairo Office decided to organize the First International Conference on African and Arabs Geoparks in 2011 in Morocco. The conference also aims to launch the Arabian Geoparks Network.

All researchers in the fields of geoheritage, geotourism, conservation, environment and sustainable development to policy makers, economists, geopark and local community administrators and leaders, NGOs, business operators and individuals with interest on geoheritage development are invited to participate and contribute to make this event a success.

For more information please download the first circular of the conference

The International Congress GeoTunis 2010 in its 5th Edition "The use of SIG and remote sensing for sustainable development" will be held in tunis from 29th November to 3rd December 2010. For more information, please consult the website http://geotunis.org/

The first DIVERSITAS newsletter of this year. Please download

INDIA/BRAZIL/SOUTH AFRICA - (IBSA)

Call for Applications – 2010

Background

India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Trilateral Forum is a developmental initiative between India, Brazil and South Africa to promote South-South cooperation and exchange. The Trilateral Forum seeks to promote cooperation in a broad range of areas, including agriculture, climate change, culture, defense, education, energy, health, information society, science and technology, social development, trade and investment, tourism and transport. With specific reference to education, the Education Ministers of the three member countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the field of Higher Education on the 17th of OCTOBER 2007 with a view to creating conditions for cooperation between India, Brazil and South Africa’s academic institutions, faculties, researchers, and students on the basis of lasting institutional arrangements and by means of joint research projects.

Please view the attached documents for more information

PETROCI Holding (Main Sponsor), TOLLOW OIL, CANADIAN NATURAL, District d’Abidjan, CORE LAB, VANCO, ANADARKA, UNESCO Senegal, IUGS, and UNESCO Nairobi are deeply thanked for their confidence and their moral and financial support given the fifth conference of the African Association of Women in Geosciences organized from the 11th to 17th April 2010 at Grand Bassam (Cote d’Ivoire).

Ezzoura Errami
AAWG, President
On behalf of the CAAWG5 Organizing Committee

APPEL DE GRAND BASSAM POUR LA PAIX
PAR LES FEMMES GEOSCIENTIFIQUES
ASSOCIATION AFRICAINE DES FEMMES EN GEOSCIENCES

Nous les participants à la cinquième Conférence de l’Association Africaine des Femmes en Géosciences "AAWG" que nous tenons du 11 au 17 Avril 2010 à Grand Bassam sous le thème " Femmes et Géosciences pour la Paix " à l’unanimité :

Please download the Appeal.

Appel pour la Paix_AAWG

and the second circular