U.S. Launch of International Polar Year

Dobriansky Participates in U.S. Launch of International Polar Year

The Honorable Paula J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, delivered remarks at the U.S. launch of International Polar Year at the National Academies of Science in Washington, D.C., on Monday, February 26, 2007. .

The International Polar Year is a scientific program focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic. International Polar Year will involve more than 200 projects, with thousands of scientists from more than 60 nations examining a wide range of physical, biological and social research topics.

Many U.S. agencies are engaged in scientific research and outreach efforts in support of U.S. International Polar Year. The Department of State directs international relations in polar affairs, leads federal policy with respect to the Arctic and Antarctic, and heads U.S. delegations to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Commission on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the Arctic Council, and other polar organizations and fora. The Department plans to highlight the outcomes of International Polar Year when it hosts the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in 2009. That event will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty.

The Department supports U.S. scientific efforts worldwide by facilitating scientific cooperation with foreign governments through science and technology agreements, and numerous other cooperative arrangements. The Department is actively supporting U.S.-led International Polar Year projects, including the Arctic Human Health Initiative and the Arctic Energy Summit, which address this polar year's emphasis on the people living in the Arctic. The Department is also helping to fund a monitoring program led by Alaska natives.

For additional information about International Polar Year please see: http://www.ipy.gov/ and state.gov/g/oes/ocns/ipy/, 2007/133 Released on February 26, 2007

Media Note, Office of the Spokesman, Washington, DC. February 26, 2007

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