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SCAR Circular no 747

Implementation of the SCAR Review: 1

3 December 2001

To: SCAR National Committees

SCAR Circular no 747

Dear Sir or Madam

Implementation of the SCAR Review: 1

At XXVI SCAR in Tokyo the report from the ad hoc Group on SCAR Organization and Strategy was presented, discussed, and adopted in principle with the charge to the Executive to work out the details of the implementation. The SCAR Executive appointed the ad hoc Group on Transition to assist with the development of a plan and has now received the report from that group. A "White Paper" detailing the implementation is attached to SCAR Circular no 748, included with this letter.

A number of the recommendations from the ad hoc Group on SCAR Organization and Strategy refer to matters that require action by delegates and National Committees and those Recommendations are the subject of this letter. I urge all Delegates, Alternate Delegates, and National Committees to give serious consideration to the following recommendations.

Recommendation 3: Dealing with the activity of SCAR Delegates

Recommendation 7: Dealing with support for SCAR Officers

Recommendation 18: Dealing with qualifications of SCAR Delegates

Recommendation 19: Dealing with the role of younger scientists

These are recommendations that SCAR itself cannot implement. Only Delegates and National Committees can take a role in their implementation, country by country. I sincerely hope that you will carefully consider these and implement those that you can.

I will be eager to hear of your plans when we meet next in Shanghai.

Robert H. Rutford

SCAR President

Enc: Text of Recommendations 3, 7, 18 and 19.

Report of the ad hoc Group on SCAR Organization and Strategy

Text of Recommendations 3, 7, 18 and 19

Recommendation 3

SCAR delegates&emdash;at the delegate level&emdash;must become more actively engaged in the management of SCAR at SCAR meetings and also intersessionally.

Recommendation 7

All SCAR officers are encouraged to seek a greater level of support at their home institutions through a greater level of in-kind and other administrative assistance but SCAR should also increase its budget for these purposes.

Recommendation 18

Recognizing that they must weigh many factors in the selection of SCAR delegates, national Antarctic committees and other bodies adhering to SCAR should appoint delegates with current scientific expertise in Antarctic research.

Recommendation 19

National Antarctic committees and other bodies adhering to SCAR should continue to give more attention to participation of younger scientists both in research in Antarctica and in SCAR's scientific operating groups.