International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

This address is presented by IUPAC President Dr. Alan Hayes at the 41st IUPAC Council Meeting on 7 July 2001 in Brisbane, Australia.

The two years since our last General Assembly have been very active for IUPAC. The approval by the Council at Berlin of the reorganization of the management of IUPAC�s scientific work, changing the Union�s scientific structure from one based on permanent commissions to one based on projects, has led to changes in the responsibilities of the Division Presidents and Division Committees, and the establishment and implementation of project approval and evaluation processes.

We have implemented two new programs that were also approved by Council at Berlin � the IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists and the support of conferences in developing and economically disadvantaged countries. Both programs address important needs and provide high visibility to IUPAC.

We have undertaken comprehensive reviews of the Union�s activities in three important areas � systematic chemical nomenclature, chemistry education, and interaction with the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. We are now prepared to recommend organizational changes and strategies for pursuing future work in these areas.

The Union�s regular activities in contributing to the language and scientific-industrial framework of chemistry continued with the publication in 2000 of 21 recommendations and reports in our official Journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry, publication of 3 books, and the publication of two special issues of Pure and Applied Chemistry, one on the topic of �Nanostructured Materials,� the other on �Green Chemistry�. In dissemination of information, the bimonthly newsmagazine Chemistry International highlights current activities and general policy issues, and the informal IUPAC e-News provides timely updates. The IUPAC web site continues to be a major source of information for members of IUPAC bodies. It is also becoming the public face of IUPAC and is regularly accessed for information about all aspects of chemistry by scientists and students worldwide. A strategy for CI has been developed that will better integrate these three approaches and improve the readability of CI.

For the first time IUPAC has published its Biennial Report in the format of the Strategic Plan and in an attractive format. We have also recently developed an information brochure with particular emphasis on the Union�s interactions with industry. The report that follows is intended to highlight activities and actions that are important to the Union as a whole. The individual reports of the Division Presidents and Standing Committee Chairmen will describe the many varied accomplishments of their respective bodies.

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Content

EPILOGUE
In his report to the Berlin Council meeting President Jortner stated six points that he described as the future message of IUPAC:

IUPAC has embarked on a new course for the future. The changes that have been made and that will take full effect starting in 2002 are intended to address these six points. IUPAC can only remain important to chemists by continuing to meet their needs for an organization that helps them do their work. We must continue to ask the two fundamental questions:

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to all my colleagues in the Union, particularly the present and former Officers and Members of the Bureau and the Executive Director, who have given me invaluable assistance and advice. I would like to extend my deep appreciation to the �IUPAC Family� and all the volunteers around the world, for their personal commitment to the objectives, goals, and activities of IUPAC. Their contributions do and will promote, enhance, and perpetuate the impact of the Union�s activities on the international level, both in scope and in intrinsic significance. The dedication of all the officers and members of IUPAC bodies has been especially evident as we meet the challenges posed by the implementation of our new way of organizing the work of the Union. It is by the expertise and dedication of these extensive and intensive voluntary activities that IUPAC has served and will continue to serve the world chemical research and industrial community as the outstanding international authority on the Pure and Applied Chemical Sciences.