Documents

SCAR EXCOM 2005 19a: Report from the ATS Standing Committee on ATCM XXVIII, Stockholm, June 2005

Introduction

ATCM XXVIII took place in Stockholm from -17 June 2005. J.Thiede, DWH Walton, C Summerhayes, PD Clarkson and M Kaczmarska attended on behalf of SCAR. The SCAR delegation also hosted D Carlson, Executive Director of the IPY Programme Office during the second week. Prof Steven Chown came for three days in the first week to deliver the SCAR Lecture.

The meeting took place in the Technical Museum and was very well organised by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It proved to be a very busy meeting with 72 Working papers and 125 Information Papers, the bulk of which were taken by the Committee for Environmental Protection.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 19b: The Development of the ATS Standing Committee

The Development of the ATS Standing Committee – The View from the Chair

Introduction

The ATS Standing Committee was established as part of the re-organisation of SCAR and was intended to replace many of the functions that GOSEAC had previously provided. The membership was fixed at three (DWH Walton, MC Kennicutt, M Stoddart) with the assumption that the tasks were principally ones of co-ordination of material prepared by specialists within SCAR for submission to the elements of the ATS. The Chair of the ATS Committee was tasked with providing the presentation of the papers at the ATCM and more general representation of the SCAR community at both the CEP and the ATCM generally, as well as working with the chosen lecturer to ensure the quality and content of the SCAR Lecture. Representation of SCAR at CCAMLR remained with E.Fanta.

With the retirement of DWH Walton after XXIX ATCM in Edinburgh this is an opportune moment to look at the future development of the Committee and how representation of SCAR interests and advice can most effectively be delivered in the future.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 20: Statement of Income and Expenditure for 2004

SCAR EXCOM 2005 21: Bank Accounts at 31 December 2004

SCAR EXCOM 2005 22: National Contributions for 2004

SCAR EXCOM 2005 23: Budget for 2005

SCAR EXCOM 2005 24: Budget for 2006

SCAR EXCOM 2005 25: Management Procedure for SCAR Bank Accounts

This document outlines the procedure for managing SCAR finances.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 26: Procedure for COs to Manage SSG Budgets

This document describes the procedures to be followed by all those SCAR officers whose planned activities are supported by an allocation in the annual SCAR budget that is agreed by the Delegates at a SCAR Meeting.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 27: Draft Rules of Procedure for SCAR Subsidiary Groups

The Rules of Procedure for SCAR Subsidiary Groups are supplementary to and subordinate to the SCAR Rules of Procedure. The SCAR Rules of Procedure will take precedence in questions of interpretation of the Rules of Procedure for SCAR Subsidiary Groups

SCAR EXCOM 2005 29: Executive Officer Job Description

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) seeks an Executive Officer to assist in the running of the SCAR Secretariat. This paper outlines that position.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 30: SCAR Fellowship Programme

SCAR EXCOM 2005 31: Progress Report from the Subgroup on History of Antarctic Research

The SCAR Action Group on the “History of the institutionalisation of Antarctic Research within SCAR” (founded October 2004) is the first international and interdisciplinary group devoted to the history of polar research. In the course of our annual workshops we want to investigate the engagement, realisation, and co-operation in Antarctic research, as well as the leading figures in the context of different national settings and perspectives.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 32: Proposed SCAR Awards

At recent meetings of the SCAR Executive Committee there have been some initial discussions on the proposal to institute a SCAR medal for outstanding service to SCAR. Following the Executive Committee Meeting in Sofia, this paper has been revised in the light of further discussions.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 33: Revised SCAR Communications Plan

Executive Summary

One of SCAR’s five primary goals is “to communicate scientific information about the Antarctic region to the public.” Accordingly, the SCAR Delegates meeting in Bremerhaven in October 2004 approved development of a Communication Plan as a key management tool for achieving SCAR’s long-term goals. This strategic decision accords with the recognition by SCAR’s parent body, ICSU, in its Strategic Plan 2006-2012, that: “Scientists and their representative organisations have to accept increasing responsibility and develop new mechanisms to share their understanding with many different stakeholders in society. Renewed efforts have to be made to ensure that [the voice of the science community] is heard where it is most needed.

The overall objectives of the SCAR Communications Plan are to:

• raise the visibility of SCAR and its activities;
• promote the concepts that inspire SCAR’s agenda;
• raise awareness of the importance of scientific research in the Antarctic region;
• ensure successful implementation of SCAR’s research programmes and activities;
• develop cooperation with partners and supporters;
• mobilise human and financial resources;
• link Secretariat staff more effectively with the SCAR Executive Committee, National Committees, scientific activities and programmes, and partners;
• link SCAR more effectively with other Antarctic organisations; and
• help to build the capacity of new Members to enable them to participate in and benefit from SCAR activities and programmes.

The Plan identifies a suite of target communities or audiences, each of which will require the SCAR message tailored in a different way. Because many of these communities are at the national level, the task of communicating SCAR’s message has to be shared between the SCAR Secretariat acting centrally and at the international level, and the National SCAR Committees acting nationally and at the local level.

Key audiences for the SCAR message include: the scientific research community; the pre- university school population; the general public, including the media; policy makers; decision-makers and funders; and SCAR’s management.

The Plan describes a variety of communications tools that may be adapted for the purpose at hand, and a mechanism for evaluating the performance of communication efforts.

Where appropriate, SCAR’s communications at national and/or international levels should be carried out jointly with the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes (COMNAP).

The Plan was approved by the Executive Committee at its meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, July 11-13, 2005, following consultation with national committees and delegates by e-mail.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 35: A Strategy for Capacity Building and Education

Executive Summary

SCAR is committed to helping scientists in all of its Member countries to participate in understanding scientifically the physical, biological, chemical and geological processes at work in the Antarctic region, to use that understanding to predict change both there and elsewhere in the world, and to provide objective and independent advice to policy makers. To achieve that goal requires that efforts be made to raise national scientific capacities, especially in developing countries. SCAR is also committed to promoting the incorporation of Antarctic science in education at all levels. The SCAR Strategic Plan 2004-2010 called for SCAR to develop a strategy setting out how it proposes to meet those objectives. This document is that Strategy. It explores ways in which SCAR can work with its Members, with COMNAP and with others to meet the stated needs.

The document describes the current situation, then spells out the scope, aims and objectives of the strategy. The strategy is designed to help Members’ scientists achieve the following objectives:

1. to engage in high quality international scientific research in the Antarctic region, and on the role of the Antarctic region in the Earth system;
2. to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from SCAR’s main programmes and other activities;
3. to provide free and unrestricted access to their Antarctic scientific data and information, and make best use of others’ data and information;
4. to provide objective and independent scientific advice to their own governments and to Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings and other organizations on issues of science and conservation affecting the management of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
5. to make best use of Antarctic examples to illustrate key scientific principles in schools and universities.

The strategy recommends the application of ten principles, and emphasises the importance of developing partnerships to take the programme forward. It lists a number of possible mechanisms for achieving the aims and objectives, and notes that the International Polar Year provides an excellent opportunity to start a wide range of capacity building and education initiatives. It sets out a mechanism for implementation, which will be coordinated by a Capacity Building and Education Group working to clearly defined targets within a specified timeframe. Finally it provides a set of performance indicators that can be used to assess progress over time.

The SCAR Executive Committee, meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria (July 11-13, 2005) approved the distribution of this draft for consultation by e-mail with national committees and delegates, with the aim of providing a final version for the XXIX Delegates’ meeting in Hobart (July 2006). The Executive Committee noted that depending on consultation with and feedback from COMNAP, the draft may be modified in future to take COMNAP requirements into account.

SCAR EXCOM 2005 36: National Reports to SCAR

SCAR EXCOM 2005 37: SCAR-IASC Agreement

Relationship between the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC).

SCAR EXCOM 2005 38: Potential for New Members

SCAR EXCOM 2005 39: Proposed Steering Committees for Scientific Research Programmes