Meeting of Research Leaders Spotlights African Development Disaster Planning

摘要

Battered by cyclones, prone to major floods, and still recovering from a lengthy civil war, this southeastern African country might seem like an unlikely meeting spot for the world's learned societies. But the International Council for Science (ICSU), bypassing the usual tourist magnets, chose to hold its general assembly session on 20 to 24 October in Mozambique's scarred but rebuilding capital, Maputo. ICSU did so in part to advance its strategy of expanding activities and boosting science in Africa, says its executive director, Swedish microbiologist Thomas Rosswall. "We are reaching out to the scientific communities in the developing world," he says, noting that ICSU has opened regional offices in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and is planning a fourth in the Arab world.