The Royal Society of Canada Releases G8 Statements

OTTAWA, May 26 /CNW Telbec/ - The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) has submitted two Statements to the Government of Canada in preparation for the G8 Summit in Muskoka on June 25-26. The two Statements, addressing themes identified as priorities by the Government, speak (1) to the health of women and children, and (2) to mobilizing innovation for development.

The Statements, which include recommendations for action, are signed by the National Science Academies of the G8 countries, and result from a meeting of the G8 Academies in Ottawa in April.

"These Statements reflect the collective wisdom of the National Science Academies of the G8 countries on matters of global urgency," said RSC President Roderick A. Macdonald. "The statements are the result of months of hard work by leading scholars from throughout the world."

In 2005, British Prime Minister Tony Blair requested the expertise of National Science Academies at the Gleneagles summit. Since that time the G8 host country's National Academy has been charged with organizing a meeting of the G8 Academies with a view to developing Statements along themes that are consistent with the host government's priorities at the G8 summit.

"Our objective is to provide the Government of Canada with the most recent data on these matters so that, in their deliberations, the governments of the G8 countries have a trustworthy source of global scientific opinion," said Professor Macdonald.

The statements are publicly available at www.rsc-src.ca.

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) consists of nearly 2000 Fellows, men and women who are selected by their peers for outstanding contributions to the natural and social sciences, in the arts and in the humanities.

For further information: Erika Kujawski, Officer of Communications, The Royal Society of Canada, [phone], Mobile: [phone], [email protected]; Internet: www.rsc-src.ca; Twitter: twitter.com/Erika_Kujawski