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| Updated: 23-Jun-2003 | NATO Press Releases |
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Press Release (2003) 074 23 June 2003 |
NATO Science Committee to meet in Ukraine At the invitation of the Ukrainian authorities, the NATO Science Committee will for the first time visit Kyiv and Sevastopol, from 24-28 June, for a full programme of events. The Committee will hold its regular Spring meeting in Kyiv, and an official opening session will take place on Wednesday 25 June. Mr. Yevhen Marchuk, Head, National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine will speak at the opening session, and the Chairman of the Science Committee, Mr. Jean Fournet, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, will respond on behalf of NATO. Press will be invited to this session. A key item on the agenda of the Science Committee meeting will be discussion of revised Terms of Reference for the Committee, and on the future orientation of NATO's Science Programme, which will place greater emphasis on new NATO objectives, addressing new threats and challenges to security. In addition to the meeting of the Science Committee, committee members will participate in a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Working Group on Scientific and Environmental Cooperation. This Joint Working Group was established in May 2000 to intensify NATO-Ukraine cooperation in science and the environment. The Working Group meets annually, but this will be the first meeting to be held in full Science Committee session. Discussion will focus on the status of NATO-Ukraine cooperation in the science and environment areas, and will address ways of incorporating Ukraine's national priorities into the NATO programme with Ukraine in these areas While in Kyiv, members of the Science Committee will also attend a seminar with young scientists, the "leaders of tomorrow", intended to stimulate debate on various topics. These include the role of research and development in industry; challenges for biotechnology in defence against terrorism; and environmental issues of particular relevance to Ukraine, namely the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and the contribution of defence reform to tackling environmental problems. The Science Committee will attend a further workshop in Sevastopol on 27 June, which will focus on the prospects for NATO-Ukraine scientific cooperation, using as a case study cooperation in addressing the problem of the Black Sea's damaged ecosystem. While in Ukraine, members of the Science Committee will visit a number of institutions and laboratories working on projects supported under the NATO Science Programme. For accreditation and further information media reprsentatives are advised to contact NATO Information and Documentation Centre, 36/1 Melnykova, 04119 Kyiv, Tel: +380-44-246-8616 / 17, E-mail: nidc@ukrpack.net News and information will routinely be posted on the NATO website |
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