June 10^th 2004

International Year of Physics, 2005

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of Brazil, France, the Kingdom of Lesotho, Portugal, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Principality of Monaco in order to introduce draft Resolution A/58/L.62 entitled “International Year of Physics, 2005”. The following states are to be added to the list of co-sponsors: St’ Kits and Nevis and Croatia.

In 1905, Albert Einstein, then working at the Patent office in Bern, Switzerland, published several scientific articles, which profoundly influenced our understanding of the universe we live in. He introduced utterly revolutionary ideas on fundamental questions such as: the existence of atoms, the nature of light, the concepts of time and space, energy and matter. He thus opened a way to most of the 20^th century’s developments of physics.

Last year, at the initiative of the European Society of Physics and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, (UNESCO), proclaimed 2005, the hundredth anniversary of these great scientific achievements, the International Year of Physics. Furthermore, in this resolution, the member States of UNESCO asked that the United Nations General Assembly do the same.

The aim of this International Year goes beyond the mere celebration of one of the greatest minds in physics of the twentieth century. This Year will provide the world with an opportunity for the largest possible audiences to acknowledge the progress and importance of this great field of science. One will remember, that for example, transistors, computers, lasers, magnetic resonance imagery are pure products of the last decades of fundamental research in laboratories of physics, where tomorrow’s materials and technologies of information are worked out today. We can stimulate the interest of young people to pursue scientific careers and to revive in them a taste for the scientific approach: this must be a national as well as a worldwide endeavour. It is indeed essential to understand that the twenty-first century will have an increasing need for the concepts and tools provided by the physical sciences in finding solutions to major problems which confront us, such as energy production, environmental protection, and even public health.

The International Year of Physics should also be the occasion to begin a prospective debate on the great need for scientific research in the twenty-first century. The spectacular accomplishments that took place in the last ten years toward the infinitely small of particles, the infinitely large of the cosmos and the infinitely complex of the states of matter bring fascinating prospects to science as a whole. The history of the Sciences, teaches us to remember and appreciate that there are always great enigmas in the fundamental laws of the Universe of matter, of life as well as the human mind and that, the twenty-first century will undoubtedly bring about many scientific surprises.

The debates will also have to relate to all the social issues, which accompany the practice of science in general, and of physics in particular. It is essential to better evaluate its role in the general culture of humankind. If one measures the impact of the physical sciences on the development of new technologies, one would undoubtedly recognise its importance for the necessary progress of the developing countries. In this respect the ethical responsibilities for Physicists are enormous and challenging. The International Year of Physics will allow all practioners, especially women who are still largely excluded from this field of research to participate more actively in its advancement. Political leaders will have to be convinced of the paramount importance of research in physics for the advancement of mankind. The spirit of this celebration is thus directly linked to the Millennium Development Goals.

Countries around the world are preparing special events to celebrate the International Year of Physics under the sponsorship of UNESCO. The launching of the Year will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 13 to 15 January 2005.

Already, more than 60 countries in Africa, in Asia, in the Pacific Ocean, in Latin America and North America, in Europe and in the Middle East have started to establish their programs for the celebrations. These programmes are financed by public and scientific institutions as well as by private sponsors.

Some of the topics to be discussed are:

· The promotion of physics to populations,

· Physics in teaching,

· Physics as the basis of many disciplines and of new scientific and technical developments,

· The great challenges of the twenty-first century,

· Physics in developing countries and physics for development,

· Women and physics, etc.

If the General Assembly of the United Nations declares 2005, the International Year of Physics, it would strengthen the scope of these celebrations. This is why the Co-sponsors of the draft Resolution A/58/L.62 would like to call upon the General Assembly to adopt it by acclamation.