UNESCO

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Children in Bangkok
learn about air
pressure during their
school’s Science Day
activities, ahead
of World Science
Day for Peace and
Development 2015.
temperature, and to assess the potential
risks of exceeding this limit. As well as
supporting scientific research, investment
is needed in translating scientific
discoveries into action for society.
‘The Enabling Power of Science’ was
the theme of the 2015 World Science
Forum (WSF), organized by UNESCO,
the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,
the International Council for Science
(ICSU), the American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS),
the World Academy of Sciences for the
advancement of science in developing
countries (TWAS) and the European
Academies Science Advisory Council
(EASAC). Held in Budapest (Hungary)
in November, it examined the ways
in which science improves our quality
of life. The programme provided a
platform for dialogue and collaboration
between representatives of the
scientific community, the private sector,
governments and civil society. Young
scientists and researchers were given
specific opportunities to participate
in the debates. UNESCO Director-
General Irina Bokova said, ‘The 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development
embodies a new vision for humanity,
for the planet, for peace, for the next
15 years – science stands at its heart as
a force for positive transformation and
a development multiplier.’
At the WSF, the 2015 UNESCO Kalinga
Prize for the Popularization of Science
was awarded to Diego Andrés Golombek
(Argentina), in recognition of his tireless
contribution to science communication
and education in diverse and entertaining
formats, and particularly for his role in the
development of Argentina’s first scientific
and cultural department at the Ricardo
Rojas Centre in Buenos Aires, where
the sciences meet the arts.
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