[Wigsat-l] Resend: Results of the TWOWS Fourth General Assembly and International Conference

[Sophia Huyer]

Dear all,

Apologies for re-sending an old message about the TWOWS General Assembly.  Below is a message which was intended to go out, on the results of the conference.

Best,

WIGSAT - Women, technology, society
Tel 1-416-479-0601
Fax 1-416-479-0263
www.wigsat.org

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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.







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