Science

At the centre of the Man and the Biosphere Programme stands the concept of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserves. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are internationally representative land, water or coastal regions in which sustainable development is actively practised. These places provide an example of how the effort of preserving biodiversity and regional cultural value can go hand in hand with social and economic development. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves thus represent the cohabitation of man and nature. The Man and the Biosphere Programme

In terms of its key content areas, UNESCO is emphasising climate change and the conservation of biodiversity, the promotion of knowledge to protect oceans and coasts, as well as safeguarding drinking water supplies. Examples of these efforts are the UNESCO programmes established in order to address these issues: the International Hydrological and Geoscience Programmes (IHP and IGCP), which are dedicated to researching and protecting the environment for humanity. In Austria, the programmes are overseen by the National Committee for Geo/Hydro Sciences at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).

The goal of the “For Women in Science” cooperation between L’ORÉAL and UNESCO is public recognition and worldwide promotion of the role of women in science, especially in life sciences. In doing so, L’ORÉAL supports what is a significant concern for UNESCO: stopping the multifaceted ways in which women experience discrimination, which are rooted in unequal access to education in general and become even more apparent when it comes to scientific education.

The multifaceted impacts of technical advances are often a double-edged sword and pose complex problems for both individuals and society as a whole. There is a need for finding common values and criteria that respond to the ethical and social questions of global change – an urgent necessity in the age of globalisation. Ethics therefore form the foundation of UNESCO’s activities in science. Austria’s many years of active participation in the UNESCO Bioethics Programme, the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) and the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC) are also extremely important to international and national discussion on the topic of life sciences.