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Chapter 1 



INTRODUCTION 



The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and 

 Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded in 1946 

 "for the purpose of advancing, through the educa- 

 tional and scientific and cultural relations of the 

 peoples of the world, the objectives of international 

 peace and of the common welfare of mankind. . •" 



The announced U.S. intention to withdraw from membership in UNESCO 

 at the end of 1984 has prompted concern within the scientific community, 

 both national and international, about the consequences for global 

 science cooperation. Problems of the earth, oceans, atmosphere, envi- 

 ronment and the cosmos require the collaboration of scientists on a 

 worldwide scale. Although science represents only a part of the total 

 UNESCO mandate, and about one-third of the budget, it is a significant 

 element that historically has facilitated important contributions to 

 the spirit of international cooperation and to the advancement and 

 health of the scientific enterprise. UNESCO is one of many interna- 

 tional institutions for science cooperation that have developed in the 

 post-World War II era and is unique in the breadth of its concerns, 

 giving testimony to the important linkages between education, science 

 and culture. Although official U.S. withdrawal from this forum has 

 implications for all the programs of UNESCO, this report focuses only 

 on the science programs. The prospect of U.S. nonmembership in UNESCO 

 raises questions about the immediate implications for ongoing collabora- 

 tive programs in which the United States is an active participant as 

 well as for the long-term future of U.S. involvement in international 

 science activities. 



As a private institution, the National Academy of Sciences is not a 

 formal participant in UNESCO, an intergovernmental organization. How- 

 ever, because of the involvement of the U.S. scientific community in 

 many UNESCO-sponsored science activities, the Council of the NAS and 

 tne Governing Board of the National Research Council have expressed 

 concern regarding the impacts on science of a U.S. withdrawal from 

 UNESCO. 1 In March, the Academy, through its National Research 

 Council, offered to assist the Department of State in assessing the 

 impacts on some of the major science programs and to suggest possible 



