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This report summarizes the findings and recommendations of an international workshop that was organized jointly by IUPAC and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), and held in Zagreb, Croatia, from 22 to 25 April 2007. It was held to assist with preparation for the Second Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which will commence in April 2008.
The CWC has been in force since 29 April 1997, and today 182 States have joined the Convention. The CWC aims at the total prohibition of all chemical weapons (CW) and the destruction of all CW stockpiles and production facilities by 2007. Extensions have been agreed upon and, for some CW stockpiles, the deadline is now 2012. This disarmament is subject to strict international verification by the OPCW. The CWC also prohibits the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, and retention of CW and requires national implementation measures, including legislation, together with the international verification of chemical industry facilities. Furthermore, the CWC aims to strengthen States Parties’ capacities in the field of protection against CW, and encourages international cooperation in the peaceful application of chemistry.
The CWC requires that reviews of the operation of the Convention are carried out at five-year intervals and specifies that such reviews “shall take into account any relevant scientific and technological developments”, so as to ensure the continued effectiveness of the treaty and of its verification and implementation systems. This report has been prepared to assist the parties of the CWC with that review.
Pure Appl. Chem., Vol. 80, No. 1, pp. 175–200, 2008.
IUPAC Technical Report
© 2008 IUPAC
IUPAC permission is acknowledged
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This report informs IUPAC’s efforts to enhance the public understanding of and appreciation for chemistry by evaluating IUPAC’s mandate, strengths, and weaknesses, and providing insights from a substantial review of the relevant science communication literature. It summarizes the recommendations of an IUPAC project whose overall goal is to provide a framework that will bring the same level of intellectual rigor to IUPAC’s science communication activities as to its scientific activities. This implies that careful attention must be paid to the terminology used to describe these activities, to clear articulation of goals and motives for public understanding of chemistry initiatives, and to inclusion of rigorous evaluations of outcomes from the outset in the design of projects on the public understanding of chemistry.
Informed by our analysis of best practices for science communication, this report provides the following conclusions and recommendations:
1. IUPAC has an important role to play in enhancing public understanding of chemistry.
2. Public understanding of chemistry activities aimed at supporting teachers and students within the formal school system are more effective than those aimed at the general public.
3. IUPAC’s primary targeted public should be IUPAC chemists and educators, and IUPAC’s most important role is to help them understand and work with a variety of other publics.
4. It is proposed that IUPAC’s niche be to focus on activities that indirectly enhance public understanding, such as:
(a) Helping scientists identify and understand their publics.
(b) Influencing international organizations.
(c) Supporting science education systems, particularly in countries in transition.
(d) Supporting scientists and educators by communicating relevant findings from IUPAC projects, conferences, and activities at an appropriate level.
(e) Supporting national chemical societies and other organizations.
5. Recommendations are presented for steps to be undertaken by IUPAC to implement these recommendations and to develop a clearer strategy for public understanding of chemistry initiatives and activities.
Pure Appl. Chem., Vol. 80, No. 1, pp. 161–174, 2008.
IUPAC Technical Report
© 2008 IUPAC
IUPAC permission is acknowledged
