ACS signs joint agreement on sustainable development goals

The American Chemical Society had a robust presence at the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) 47th World Chemistry Congress and the 50th General Assembly, which were held in Paris July 5–12. The events also served as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of IUPAC. ACS activities included participation in symposia about green chemistry and education and digital chemistry and an interactive workshop titled “How to Organize Successful Chemistry Outreach Events.” In addition to a booth in the exposition and an ACS member reception with nearly 100 attendees, ACS also cosponsored events for early-career chemists through the International Younger Chemists Network and the European Young Chemists’ Network.

Of particular note was ACS president-elect Luis Echegoyen’s participation in a forum of chemical society presidents on July 8 that culminated in the signing of a joint agreement among the societies to collaborate on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The forum was hosted by the Société Chimique de France (SCF) in partnership with ACS at the SCF headquarters. Forum attendees included presidents (or their representatives) from 15 chemical societies: those of South Africa, Germany, Australia, Canada, China, Spain, France, the UK, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Tunisia, the US, and the EU. This meeting is only the first opportunity for chemical societies to join this agreement; the signatories at the Paris meeting invite additional societies to cosign this agreement at future conferences around the world. Leaders from sister societies may contact intlacts@acs.org for more information.