12 scientists on the 21st century [antikvár]

In 1999, on the eve of the new millennium, Budapest, Hungary hosted the first and so far the only ever World Conference on Science. The event was organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Council for Science (ICSU). The Hungárián Academy of Sciences and the Government of Hungary were the local organizers and hosts to the Conference. Held every two years in Budapest, Hungary, the World Science Forum is one of the tangible results and an offspring of the 1999 World Conference on Science. Initiated in 2003 by the Hungárián Academy of Sciences and organized in partnership with UNESCO and ICSU, the World Science Forum will be convened for the 4lh time in 2009. At the 1999 World Conference on Science I served as Co-Chair of the Hungárián Organizing Committee and as State Secretary of Education, representing the Hungárián Government, I went on to head the Hungárián Delegation during the intergovernmental proceedings of the conference. It is a great honour and a real pleasure for me to welcome you now both as President of the Hungárián Academy of Sciences and as President of the World Science Forum 2009. I sincerely hope that the World Science Forum 2009 will once again provide a unique opportunity for major stakeholders to engage in dialogue on the role of science in the 21st century. I'm convinced that the meeting will result in a better understanding by scientists of the true challenges and the needs of society while all participants will recognize more clearly both the nature of science and somé of its unique strengths that we can rely on in meeting the global challenges that humankind faces. WSF 2009 is a unique event and a special opportunity since it coincides with the 10th anniversary of the 1999 World Conference on Science,