From EnviroWiki
International Council for Science (ICSU)
The International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization representing a global membership that includes both national scientific bodies (111 members) and international scientific unions (29 members).
Through this extensive international network, ICSU provides a forum for discussion of issues relevant to policy for international science and the importance of international science for policy issues and undertakes the following core activities:
- Planning and coordinating interdisciplinary research to address major issues of relevance in both science and society;
- Actively advocating for freedom in the conduct of science, promoting equitable access to scientific data and information, and facilitating science education and capacity building;
- Acting as a focus for the exchange of ideas, the communication of scientific information and the development of scientific standards;
- Supporting in excess of 600 scientific conferences, congresses and symposia per year all around the world, as well as the production of a wide range of newsletters, handbooks, learned journals and proceedings.
ICSU also helps create international and regional networks of scientists with similar interests and maintains close working relationships with a number of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, especially the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).
Because of its broad and diverse membership, the Council is increasingly called upon to speak on behalf of the global scientific community and to act as an advisor in matters ranging from ethics to the environment.
