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Tir) united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization
| organisation des nations unies pour I'éducation, la science et la culture

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—==———= Organizacion de las naciones unidas para la educacion, la ciencia y la cultura
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7, place de Fontenoy
75352 Paris 07 SP

telephone: (33.1) 45.68.10.00

telex: 204461 Paris
270602 Paris

; telefax: (33.1) 47.34.85.57
The Director-General

 

reference: DG/2.3/94- 1 072

14 SEP. 1994

Dear Professor Lederberg,

I read with great interest the Interim Report on improving access to scientific
resources ("UNESCO Scientific Channel") prepared by the group of experts under your
leadership and wish to thank both the members of the group and their Chairman most
sincerely for the task accomplished.

The report proposes pragmatic recommendations which, if implemented, will open up
a new era in global scientific communications and bring spectacular benefits to those
scientists who find themselves in "information isolation".

I am particularly pleased to note that the recommendations follow the same main lines
as those of the reorganization of our information systems and services currently under way at
UNESCO (use of INTERNET, CD-ROM, electronic publishing and archiving, telenet
sessions, etc.). An intersectoral group has already been set up in the Secretariat under the
chairmanship of Mr A. Badran, Acting Deputy Director-General and Assistant Director-
General for Science, in order to start the work recommended by your group and co-ordinate
it with other initiatives of UNESCO.

I also intend to set up an international advisory panel of high-level experts in the field
of scientific communications and should be honoured if you would agree to chair it. Mr
Kotchetkov will be the Secretary of the Panel, the first meeting of which should take place as
early as possible in 1995 in Paris. If you agree to this proposal, we could start working
jointly on the composition of the Panel and agenda of its first meeting.

Professor Joshua Lederberg,
President-Emeritus

The Rockefeller University
1230 York Avenue

NEW YORK, NY 10021-6399
USA
I was touched and encouraged by the wish expressed by you and your colleagues to
work together with UNESCO on the implementation of the project and to assist us in
seeking the necessary funding support. You can of course use the concise report of your
group as you deem appropriate for that purpose. I am submitting the main recommendations
formulated in your report to the next session of the Executive Board. In addition, I have
asked Mr. Badran to have it disseminated to our field offices and members of the UNESCO
Committee for Information Resources Development (CIRD). We shall also make the report
known through our Office of Public Information and the UNESCO Sources publication.

Yours sincerely,

 

Federico Mayor