| Description | ' The Value of UNESCO Support of the Scientific Unions as a Factor towards World Peace.
1. Minute 20 (b) of the meeting of the British Committee for Co-operation with UNESCO in the Natural Sciences requested Professor STratton to prepare a draft statement on the value of UNESCO support of the scientific unions as a factor towards world peace. This statement, after approval by the Committee is to be submitted to UNESCO with a recommendation that the unions continue to receive adequate support.
2. Attached to this document is a statement by Professor Stratton prepared with the assistance of Dr J Needham. If members of the British Committee wish to comment upon the draft, I should be glad to receive them in this office. Uhnless any major points are raised, the statement will be forwarded to UNESCO on 1 July 1948.
W. D. Pile, Secretary '
' The Value of UNESCO Support of the Scientific Unions.
In the constitution of UNESCO the following specific purpose is laid down, "to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rightsand fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world without distinction of race, sex, language or religion by the Charter of the United Nations."
The British Committee for Co-operation with UNESCO in the Natural Sciences is of opinion that in the field of natural sciences the most valuable contribution that UNESCO has made and can make is to help by grants-in-aid international congresses, meetings and symposia where colleagues of many nationalities meet together to discuss their common problems. The working together of men and women of diverse skills makes a concrete contribution towards the mutual understanding of peoples among a group of rapidly growing importance in the life of the community. Scientists in each separate field use a common language and by their developed international outlook meet without any of the difficulties which through differences of opinion still affect the corresponding groups in other domains.
The Committee is not of the view that in reference to world peace any particular science should have preference over another, on the ground that it has a larger bearing on the life of the community; the more removed a science is from practical applictions to social conditions, the more easily is contact secured and maintained between colleagues. Almost the only easy contacts remaining with the USSR today lie in connexions between groups working generally within the International Scientific Unions.
The constitution of UNESCO also state as a purpose of UNESCO to "Maintain, increase and diffuse knowledge by initiating methods of intellectual co-operation calculated to give the people of all countries access to the printed and published materials produced by any of them. " In this connexion the Committee would point out the value of the system of Field Science Co-operation Offices in the less developed regions of the world.
The Committee urges the National Delegates of the United Kingdom to press strongly their support for items (a) and (b) of paragrpah 5 of NS (48) 10 in the programme of the sectin of Natural Sciences. ' |