Documents

SCAR XXX WP27a: Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information (SC-AGI) Members Activity

SCAR XXX WP27b: Relationship of National Antarctic Gazetteers to the SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica

Overview

The SCAR Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (SCAR CGA) is a product, compiled purely for the convenience of the SCAR community and has no legal authority or standing. It is digital application that collects and compiles place names, locations of names and descriptions of names in Antarctica provided by the national names committees of nations active in Antarctica, for a range of purposes. This report notes what the SCAR CGA is and what it can be used for.

SCAR XXX WP28: Report of SCAR History Group

Report of the SCAR History AG, and Application for its Conversion to an Expert Group

Cornelia Lüdecke, München

SCAR XXX WP29: Proposal for Managing Open Science Conferences

Executive Summary

It is proposed that a part-time post be created in the SCAR Secretariat to set up and manage a standardised and automated system for handling registration and abstract submission for SCAR Open Science Conferences. The same mechanism could be used for the 4-yearly biology and earth science symposia. Adopting such an option should lower registration costs by about half from their present level, providing a significant benefit to students as well as to scientists from less advantaged countries. The creation of such a post would also facilitate management of OSCs by the host country, which would be able to use some of the money from the registration fee to pay for a proportion of local facilities for such meetings. The proposed post should be self-sustaining and fully capable of being funded by the registration fee. Having a standardised automated system would also provide a benefit to SCAR groups wishing to organise workshops, as well as providing a guarantee of consistent quality. Provided the process can be costed appropriately, it is suggested that the proposal should be approved by the EXCOM meeting in mid 2009, allowing someone to be hired in summer 2009 to organise the system for XXXI SCAR in 2010.

SCAR XXX WP30i: Update on the SCAR Strategy for Capacity Building and Education

Update on the SCAR Strategy for Capacity Building and Education (SCAR Report 27, November 2006)

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, especially the Antarctic Treaty System. To achieve that goal requires that efforts be made to raise national scientific capacities, especially in countries with less well developed Antarctic programmes. SCAR is also committed to promoting the incorporation of Antarctic science in education at all levels.

This paper updates the delegates on progress since the SCAR Strategy for Capacity Building and Education plan was published in November 2006 and suggests future opportunities. It also calls for delegates to offer advice and resources in order to fulfil the strategy.

SCAR XXX WP30ii: Draft Report on the Capacity Building, Education and Training (CBET) Meeting, St Petersburg, July 2008

Addendum to WP 30: Capacity Building and Education Plan

Draft report on the Capacity Building, Education and Training (CBET) meeting – St Petersburg July 6^th 2008

SCAR XXX WP31: Report of the XXX SCAR Finance Committee

The XXX SCAR Committee on Finance met in the margins of the Delegates Meeting on Monday 14 July and Tuesday 15 July 2008 to examine the financial statements for 2006 and 2007 as well as the budgets for 2008, 2009 and 2010, based on the documents provided by the Executive Officer. In addition the Committee analysed the Financial Strategy (WP35) in particular with regard to the deficits in the 2009 and 2010 budgets.

SCAR XXX WP32i: Financial Statement for 2006 

SCAR XXX WP32iia: Financial Statement for 2007 – Full 

SCAR XXX WP32iib: Financial Statement for 2007 – Summary 

SCAR XXX WP32iic: Financial Statement to the end of June 2008

SCAR XXX WP32iii: SCAR Bank Accounts as of 31 December 2007

SCAR XXX WP32iv: National Contributions Summary as at end of March 2008

SCAR XXX WP33a: SCAR Budget 2008

SCAR XXX WP33b: National Contributions as at start of June 2008

SCAR XXX WP34i: Draft SCAR Budget 2009

SCAR XXX WP34ii: Draft SCAR Budget 2010

SCAR XXX WP35: SCAR Financial Strategy 2008-2012

Overview

SCAR’s ability to effectively carry out its missions of leadership and facilitation of international Antarctic scientific research and of providing independent scientific advice on Antarctic issues, depends critically on its financial capacity. Financial capacity in turn is a balance of income and costs. This paper outlines the income and costs that have made up SCAR finances for the previous 8 years.

SCAR XXX WP36: Ethics and Donations Policy

Developed by the Secretariat in response to Executive Committee Action 75 (Washington, DC, July 2007): The Secretariat to draft a paper on ethical guidelines with respect to accepting donations, for consideration by XXX SCAR.

Background research has involved examination of the ethical policies of several organisations including SCAR’s parent body The International Council for Science (ICSU), The Association for Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS), The Cooperative Bank, F&C Investments’ ‘A guide to Ethical Investing for Charities’ and Oxfam GB as well as information contained in the International Non Governmental Organizations Accountability Charter.