"Sixty Years of Science at UNESCO: 1945-2005"

Editorial Committee: Jake Lamar, Brian Smith, Bruno de Padirac and Gail Archibald, UNESCO, 2006, 696 pages. ( €30,00 )

Summary: "The scientific mandate of the United Nations educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) linked, from the outset, science with people, peace, societal benefits and the environment. In its scientific outreach to all civilizations during the past 60 years, UNESCO has championed the roles of science in development and the fight against poverty. Among others, it has also helped create numerous institutes, publications and non-governmental organizations to bring together the scientific world - sometimes despite cultural and political barriers.

"Sixty Years of Science at UNESCO 1945–2005 offers an inside perspective on the past six decades of this engagement. Including personal reminiscences of former and active staff who contributed to the UNESCO experience, the story is enriched by an historical analysis of the first 20 years of the Organization’s action in science.

"The volume traces through six parts the role played by UNESCO in the history of international science cooperation in an ever-changing world: I. Setting the Scene, 1945–1965; II. Basic Sciences and Engineering; III. Environmental Sciences; IV. Science and Society; V. Overviews and Analyses; and VI. Looking Ahead. It also features a list of chronological milestones set along the way."