Manifesto for equality for women in science
Tonight, five of the world’s most eminent scientists will become the first signatories of a ground-breaking manifesto for change in the field of science. The 2016 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureates; Professor Jennifer Doudna, Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Professor Hualan Chen and Professor Andrea Gamarnik will pledge their support for L’Oréal and UNESCO’s joint Manifesto, launched via a digital campaign following the annual ceremony at Paris’ Sorbonne. The global Manifesto calls on governments, organisations and the general public around the world to fight for equality at every level in the sciences. It will be jointly signed by Jean-Paul Agon, CEO of L’Oréal and Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director.
Despite making up half the population, only 28% of the world’s science researchers are women and just 3% of Nobel prizes for science have been won by women. The L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO are convinced that more needs to be done in order to step up the pace of change by launching a digital campaign to engage the scientific community, the institutional and the general public to sign the Manifesto For Women in Science.
The Manifesto’s six requests are:
- Encourage girls to explore scientific career paths
- Break down the barriers that prevent women scientists from pursuing long term careers in research
- Prioritise women’s access to senior positions and leadership positions in the sciences
- Celebrate with the general public the contribution that women scientists make to scientific progress and to society
- Ensure gender equality through participation and leadership in symposiums and scientific commissions, such as conferences, committees and board meetings
- Promote mentoring and networking for young scientists to enable them to plan and develop careers that meet their expectations
The manifesto is available to sign at www.forwomeninscience.com
The results of the manifesto campaign will be shared at the 9th European Conference on Gender Equality in High Education and Research from 12th to 14th of September in Paris
Founded in 1998, the L’Oréal-UNESCO partnership works to provide recognition and support for women in scientific roles, promoting their centrality to history-making and life-changing research projects and driving the
About the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science 2016 Laureate nominees
Nominated by more than 2,600 leading scientists, the 2016’s five Laureates were then selected by an independent and international jury of 13 prominent scientists in the global scientific community. This year’s President of the Jury is Professor Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 2008 Laureate L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science, 2009 joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and the first woman Jury President in the history of the Awards.
Europe: Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier - Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany “For her game-changing discovery, alongside Professor Jennifer Doudna, of a versatile DNA editing technique to “rewrite” flawed genes in people and other living organisms, opening tremendous new possibilities for treating, even curing, diseases.”
North America: Professor Jennifer Doudna - Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley “For her game-changing discovery, alongside Professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, of a versatile DNA editing technique to “rewrite” flawed genes in people and other living organisms, opening tremendous new possibilities for treating, even curing, diseases.”
Africa & Arab States: Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim - CAPRISA, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa “For her remarkable contribution to the prevention and treatment of HIV and associated infections, greatly improving the quality of life of women in Africa.”
Asia Pacific: Professor Hualan Chen - Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China “For her outstanding research into the biology of the bird flu virus, leading to the development and use of an effective vaccine.”
Latin America: Professor Andrea Gamarnik, Molecular Virology Laboratory, Fundación Instituto Leloir, Conicet, Buenos Aires, Argentina ”For her seminal discoveries on how mosquito-borne viruses reproduce and cause human diseases, particularly Dengue Fever.”
These five exceptional women will be awarded on 24 March 2016 at the Grand Amphitheatre of the Sorbonne in Paris. Each laureate will receive a prize of €100,000 to reward their contribution to science.
