2 January 2009
The 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations has adopted a resolution proclaiming 2011 as International Year of Chemistry, a UN statement said.
The assembly placed UNESCO and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) at the helm of the event.
Ethiopia submitted the UN resolution calling for the Year, which will celebrate the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humanity.
The Year will also draw attention to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014.
National and international activities carried out during 2011 will emphasise the importance of chemistry in sustaining natural resources.
"Chemistry is fundamental to our understanding of the world and the cosmos.
"Moreover, molecular transformations are central to the production of food, medicines, fuel and countless manufactured and extracted products.
"Through the Year, the world will celebrate the art and science of chemistry, and its essential contributions to knowledge, to environmental protection and to economic development.
"The International Year of Chemistry will give a global boost to chemical science in which our life and our future are grounded.
"We hope to increase the public appreciation and understanding of chemistry, increase young people's interest in science and generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry," IUPAC president, Jung-Il Jin, said.
"I welcome the opportunity to celebrate chemistry, one of the fundamental sciences," said the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura.
"Raising public awareness about chemistry is all the more important in view of the challenges of sustainable development.
"It is certain that chemistry will play a major role in developing alternative energy sources and in feeding the world's growing population," he added.
The year 2011, the 100th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize in chemistry to Madam Maria Curie, will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the contribution of women to science.
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