International Science Council
The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 2018 by the merger of the former International Council for Science and the International Social Science Council (ISSC), making it one of the largest organisations of this type. Daya Reddy, mathematician, served as the ISC's inaugural President from 2018-2021. Sir Peter Gluckman, paediatrician, biomedical scientist, and science-policy expert, was elected President in October 2021. Until February 2022, Heide  Hackmann served as the Council's CEO. Mission. The mission of the International Science Council is to act as the global voice for science. Activities. The Council convenes and mobilizes the international scientific community on issues of major scientific and public importance. Activities focus on three areas of work: The Council is involved in co-sponsorship of a number of international research programmes, networks and committees. The Council awards the prestigious Stein Rokkan Prize for Comparative Social Science Research. The Council's present activities are guided by the Action Plan 2022-2024: Science and Society in Transition. At the heart  of the Action Plan is a selection of projects and programmes that are relevant to all scientific fields and all parts of the world. Structure. The Council is governed by its Governing Board and is advised by a number of advisory bodies in thematic areas such as space, polar, climatic, and data research. It is headquartered in Paris with a regional office in Colombia. The Officers of the Governing Board are currently Peter Gluckman (President), Motoko Kotani (President-elect), Anne Husebekk (Vice-President for Freedom and Responsibility in Science), Salim Abdool Karim (Vice-President for Outreach and Engagement), and Sawako  Shirahase (Vice-President for Finance of the Council). The ISC's vision is for science as a global public good and its next assembly is scheduled for 2024. Members. In 2020, the International Science Council has 135 member organizations, 40 member unions and associations, and 30 affiliated members. GeoUnions. A subset of ISC dealing with Earth and space sciences forms the "GeoUnions" network: The ISC GeoUnions partially overlap with the UN-GGIM Geospatial Societies.