Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

Programme 3ASSAfScience-based approaches to the alleviation of povertyThe programme aims to help solve urgent urban problems, reduce the environmental impact ofhuman actions associated with urbanisation, and build enduring local capacity through a processthat incorporates collaborative action-oriented activities. The latter include elements that have provedsuccessful previously in working with international partners as well as elements that will be innovativeand experimental.In South Africa, the programme will be able to take advantage of strong ties that the US NationalAcademies have with the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). ASSAf is an initial intensivepartner in the broad and systematic ten-year initiative to build the capacity of African academies ofscience so that they can provide their own independent scientific and technical policy advice to theirgovernments. ASSAf and the South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) are working together todevelop country-specific proposals for submission to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, andare in the process of setting up a steering committee to focus the programme, if funded, on the city ofCape Town.Forum-type Convened Studies: Science-based approaches to the alleviation of povertyThe Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) approached the Department of Science and Technology(DST) of the South African Government, indicating that the Academy was keen to be asked to investigateimportant science-based issues as built into the Academy constitution and statute. The Director-Generaland senior colleagues from the DST leadership proposed that ASSAf should undertake a “Forum-type”study on science-based approaches to the alleviation of poverty in South Africa, a task which needs aspread of high-level expertise and thorough experience toidentify the most promising sub-topics of the study;develop the most productive and feasible approaches to each of these sub-topics, anddraw in the most suitable people from inside and outside the country who could play specific roles inthe studies concerned.Ms Rudzani RamaiteASSAf Projects Officer and Forum Study DirectorAnnual Report 2005/0643