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..Press
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UNESCAP News Services
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Date 24
March 2005
Press Release No: N/14/2005
ROLE OF SCIENCE IN GLOBAL CHANGE, ENVIRONMENT
AND DEVELOPMENT FOCUS OF EMINENT SCIENTISTS SYMPOSIUM
Renowned scientist and environmentalist
Dr Mostafa Tolba to chair Symposium
Bangkok (United Nations Information Services)
- Approximately 80-100 eminent scientists from the Asia-Pacific
region and elsewhere will meet for two days in Seoul as part
of the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development
2005 to discuss the role of science in global change, environment
and development.
The Eminent Scientists Symposium, 24-25 March
2005, will be chaired by the renowned scientist and environmentalist
Dr Mostafa Tolba, President of International Centre for Environment
and Development, Cairo, and former Executive Director of United
Nations Environment Programme (1976-1992), and co-chaired by
Professor Kwon Tai Joon of Seoul National University, and Professor
Kevin J. Noone, Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme (IGBP), Stockholm. Dr Kim Hak-Su, the Executive Secreraty
of UNESCAP, Dr Kwak Kyul-Ho, Minister of Environment, Republic
of Korea, and Dr Yoon Suh-Sung, President of Korea Environment
Institute will give Welcoming Remarks in the Opening Session
scheduled at 08:00-08:45 on 24 March 2004. Dr Tolba will give
a Chairman's Address.
Thirty-five eminent scientists will give presentations
in seven sessions during the 2-day Symposium, as given in the
list below. These include Professor Hoe-Sung Lee, Professor
Chin Seung Chung, Professor Kwi Gon Kim and Professor Euiso
Choi (Korea), Professor Sun Honglie and Dr Qin Dahe (China),
Professor Ryokichi Hirono and Professor Saburo Matsui (Japan),
Dr Emil Salim (Indonesia), Dr Mohd Nor Salleh (Malaysia), Professor
Asylbek Aidaraliev (Kyrgyz Republic), Professor Ulmas Mirsaidov
(Tajikistan), Professor Adyasuren Tsokhio (Mongolia), Dr Jariya
Boonjawat (Thailand), Professor Mi Mi Kyi (Myanmar), Professor
Anoja Wickramasinghe (Sri Lanka), Dr Monowar Hossain (Bangladesh),
Professor John Hay (New Zealand), Professor Steven Halls (Australia)
from the region, and Professor Jan van der Leun (The Netherlands),
Professor Kevin Noone, Dr Micahel Glantz and Professor Veerabhadran
Ramanathan (USA), and Professor Peter Brimblecombe (UK) from
other parts of the world. Dr David Carson, Director of World
Climate Research Programme, Dr Salvano Briceno, Director of
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United
Nations (UN/ISDR), and Dr Bindu Lohani, Director General of
Regional and Sustainable Development Department of Asian Development
Bank, Dr Linda Anne Stevenson, Programme Manager (Scientific
Affairs) of Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research,
Dr Hiran Jayewardene, Secretary General of Indian Ocean Marine
Affairs Co-operation, Dr Mahboob Elahi, Director Director of
South Asian Cooperative Environment Programme, as well as a
number of younger eminent scientists both from and outside the
region, including Dr Youngsin Chun and Dr Young-Il Song (Korea),
Professor Alvin Culaba (Philippines), Dr Nguyen Huu Ninh (Viet
Nam) and Dr Vladimir Smakhtin (Russian Federation), and Professor
Shashi Kant (Canada), will also make contributions during the
Symposium.
The topics range from the Earth System and its
climate, sustainable development, water resources and sanitation,
the chemistry of forest fire smoke, yellow-brown dust, atmospheric
brown clouds, forestry and biofuels, responses to climate change
and disasters, including early warning systems for extreme events,
to environmental industry, governance and tools for environmental
management. The symposium speakers will provide national, regional
and global perspectives on these issues. In addition, information
will be provided on progress in the development of the Tsunami
Early Warning System for the Indian Ocean by Dr Salvano Briceno.
A Panel Discussion will be held at the last session
of the second day of the Symposium, focusing on Mainstreaming
Sciences into Environmental and Developmental Processes. A Panel
Discussion will be held at the last session of the second day
of the Symposium, focusing on "Mainstreaming Sciences into
Environmental and Developmental Processes". The panelists
will include scientists Professor Kwon Tai Joon (Korea), Professor
Sun Honglie (China), Akio Morishima (Japan), Professor Mi Mi
Kyi (Myanmar), Professor Adyasuren Toskhio (Mongolia), Dr Mohd
Nor Salleh (Malaysia), Professor Asylbek Aidaraliev (Kyrgyz
Republic), Dr Michael Glantz (USA), and Professor Nesar Ahmad
Kohestani (Afghanistan), as well as Assistant Minister Madam
Liana Bratasida of Indonesia and Hon. Talagi Toke, Deputy Premier
of Niue. The outcome of the discussion will form a series of
recommendations to be provided to the Conference.
The Eminent Scientists Symposium is jointly organized
by Korea Environment Institute, International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme and UNESCAP, and sponsored by Korea Environment Institute,
UNU & Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Joint
Programme (Korea), Ministry of Environment (Korea), Asia-Pacific
Network for Global Change Research, Samsung Global Environment
Research Centre (Korea), Korean National Committee for IGBP
and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
The event will be held at in the Belle-Vue Suite
36F of the Lotte Hotel Seoul, from 08:00-19:00 hrs.
The panelists will include scientists Professor
Kwon Tai Joon (Korea), Professor Sun Honglie (China), Akio Morishima
(Japan), Professor Mi Mi Kyi (Myanmar), Professor Adyasuren
Toskhio (Mongolia), Dr Mohd Nor Salleh (Malaysia), Professor
Asylbek Aidaraliev (Kyrgyz Republic), Dr Michael Glantz (USA),
and Professor Nesar Ahmad Kohestani (Afghanistan), as well as
Assistant Minister Madam Liana Bratasida of Indonesia and Hon.
Talagi Toke, Deputy Premier of Niue. The outcome of the discussion
will form a series of recommendations to be provided to the
Conference.
The Eminent Scientists Symposium is jointly organized
by Korea Environment Institute, International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme and UNESCAP, and sponsored by Korea Environment Institute,
UNU & Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology Joint
Programme (Korea), Ministry of Environment (Korea), Asia-Pacific
Network for Global Change Research, Samsung Global Environment
Research Centre (Korea), Korean National Committee for IGBP
and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland.
The event will be held at in the Belle-Vue Suite
36F of the Lotte Hotel Seoul, from 08:00-19:00 hrs.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Pak Sum Low, UNESCAP
Tel: +(66-2) 288-1620
Fax: +(66-2) 288-1025
E-mail: low@un.org
Dr. Yong-Gun Kim, Korean Environment Institute
Tel: +(82-2) 380-7637
Fax: +(82-2) 380-7644
E-mail: ygkim@kei.re.kr
For media inquiries, please contact:
Mr. David Lazarus, Chief, UN Information Services
Bangkok
Tel: +(66-2) 288-1861/4; Fax: +(66-2) 288-1052
E-mail: unisbkk.unescap@un.org
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