Tenth anniversary of the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science

Over 30 of the world’s leading women scientists will sign the L’OREAL-UNESCO Charter of Commitment For Women in Science at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters on 6 March. The Charter, which affirms the signatories’ long-term dedication to promote women in science, marks the 10th anniversary of the L’OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science partnership.

Following the signature by the scientists, all former winners of the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science, a ceremony will be held in which five outstanding women researchers from five continents will receive this year’s awards, recognizing their work in life sciences.

The 2008 Laureates are:

Professor Lihadh AL-GAZALI (United Arab Emirates, UAE), Laureate for Africa and the Arab States;
Assistant Professor V. Narry KIM (Republic of Korea), Laureate for Asia-Pacific;
Professor Ada YONATH (Israel), Laureate for Europe;
Professor Ana Belén ELGOYHEN (Argentina), Laureate for Latin America;
Professor Elizabeth BLACKBURN (USA), Laureate for North America.

The L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science recognize five laureates annually, one from each of the five continents. They are conferred to scientists working in life sciences and material sciences in alternating years. With the 2008 Awards in life sciences, a total of 52 women scientists from 26 countries, whose work has improved human well-being, will have been recognized. Each Laureate receives US$100,000.

The partnership also recognizes and supports young women post-doctoral students through the UNESCO-L’ORÉAL International Fellowships for Women in Science. These two-year fellowships, worth up to US$40,000 each, allow 15 young women around the world*, to pursue their research in the life sciences outside their country of origin. The ceremony awarding this year’s fellowships will take place on 5 March, also at UNESCO Headquarters. In addition, since 2001, more than 200 doctoral students in over 20 countries have received L’ORÉAL National Fellowships, supported by the UNESCO National Commissions.

To date, more than 500 women researchers worldwide have benefited from the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO “For Women in Science” programme, which was launched in 1998.

Since its creation in 1945, UNESCO has been dedicated to eliminating all forms of discrimination and promoting equality between men and women. As well as developing educational programmes in science particularly designed for girls, UNESCO has established a series of academic chairs creating networks of women in science around the world.

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*2008 Fellows are from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Gabon, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Slovenia, South Africa, The Netherlands

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Journalists wishing to attend the event must request accreditation from the
Bureau of Public Information: Tel: + 33 (0)1 45 68 17 48; i.le-fournis@unesco.org

• Author(s):UNESCO Media Advisory 2008 n°13
• Source:UNESCOPRESS
• 27-02-2008

• © Micheline Pelletier - Photo N° 2 : Professor V. Narry Kim, laureate for Asia-Pacific
  Photo N° 3 : Professor Lihadh Al-Gazali, laureate for Africa and the Arab States
• © Micheline Pelletier - Photo N° 4 : Professor Ana Belén Elgoyhen, laureate for Latin America
  Photo N° 5 : Professor Ada Yonath, laureate for Europe