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Unesco is being prompted by Sweden's national commission for the UN agency to play a more proactive role in the World Conference on Science by putting its weight behind calls for full public access to scientific knowledge. The Swedish commission would also like to see social scientists play a greater role at the Budapest conference than is currently planned.

Public access to knowledge, women in science, and investment in Third World universities have emerged as the three priority areas for Sweden's delegation to next month's conference. Swedish delegates are expected to press Unesco to end its position of neutrality and “take a stand” by supporting the interests of the developing world.

Most of Unesco's member countries are in the developing world, says Anders Falk, general secretary of the national commission. “Unesco should support them,” he adds. For example, he says, “they need access to knowledge. Without this, they will never be able to develop.” Unesco, says Falk, should oppose what he calls the “increasing privatization of knowledge”.

Sweden has been at the forefront of developed countries in demanding that investment in basic research and higher education should be considered integral to the process of development. The country has one of the largest overseas research budgets, concentrating its aid on research activities in east and southern Africa.

Sweden's strategy for the Budapest conference has been agreed after three preparatory meetings, the last of which took place last week at Uppsala. The conference has generated considerable controversy, says Falk. Many delegates attending the preparatory meetings have voiced criticisms of the conference programme and of draft versions of the two final documents — a declaration and an ‘agenda for action’ — that the conference will be asked to adopt. One Swedish scientist called the drafts “toothless”.

Another senior scientist says he will not attend the Budapest meeting because he is not convinced that his time there would be usefully spent. “I am hesitating in saying this because I know that many people in developing countries have put a lot of effort in preparing for this conference, and rate Unesco highly. But there will be too many people [at the meeting], and too much talk.”

Falk says that few will disagree with the aims and objectives of the draft declaration. “But we don't know who will be responsible for implementing the recommendations,” he says. The agenda for action, according to Falk, should have clear lines of responsibility.

Falk is also concerned that the conference programme could become dominated by natural scientists, even though Unesco had been presented with a rare opportunity to put together a “forward-looking” programme by bringing together natural scientists with social scientists and academics from the liberal arts.

Full text: http://helix.nature.com/wcs/a35.html