Members of International Council for Science (ICSU) voted on September 3 to hold their 32nd General Assembly (GA) in 2017 at Academia Sinica, Taipei. The decision was made at the 31st ICSU General Assembly held in Auckland, New Zealand from 31 August to 3 September.

Academia Sinica President Chi-Huey Wong led a delegation to attend the meeting. During the GA discussions concentrated on sustainability; natural disaster reduction and prevention; the establishment of mechanisms for cultivating young scientists worldwide; and the encouragement of research for the benefit of mankind.

The decision was made to let Taiwan be the host country of the next tri-annual ICSU GA after a successful address delivered by Academician Shaw Chen Liu. During his address, Academician Liu emphasized the strength of the academic community in Taiwan and the excellent facilities available at Academia Sinica. In addition, the great hospitality of the people and the rich culture and tourist environment make Taiwan an attractive venue, he said.

This GA was hosted by the National Member of New Zealand, the Royal Society of New Zealand. The ICSU GA is held once every three years. During the meeting, all national members and unions discuss the directions and priorities in science in the near future. A new leadership team is elected during the GA including the next President-elect and the Executive Board. ICSU was founded in 1931. It is a non-governmental organization with a global membership of national scientific bodies (121 members) and International Scientific Unions (32 members). Academia Sinica joined ICSU as a national member in 1937. Academia Sinica President Emeritus Yuan-Tseh Lee has served as the President of ICSU for the past three years and becomes the immediate past president from now.

Related website:

ICSU:http://www.icsu.org/news-centre/news/top-news/canadian-climate-scientist-is-new-president-of-the-international-council-for-science

ICSU GA (news photos): https://www.flickr.com/photos/icsu/page1/