December 7, 2022

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic

ISTC Press Release

Today, the International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) convened its 75th Governing Board meeting in a hybrid format, with participants gathering both in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and virtually.  The ISTC is an intergovernmental organization with diplomatic status, established by international agreement in 1992 to advance basic and applied peaceful scientific research collaboration among governmental, academic, and commercial partners in chemistry, biology, nuclear science and engineering, and numerous related disciplines, in order to promote the improvement of international mechanisms for the prevention of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as well as to promote a culture of security with respect to the handling of dual-use materials, equipment, and technology of WMD. 

The ISTC Headquarters is in Astana, Kazakhstan. Current member governments include Armenia, the European Union, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, the Kyrgyz Republic, Norway, Tajikistan, and the United States.  Scientists and funding organizations from nearly 100 countries have participated in ISTC activities and, in recent years, the ISTC has expanded its research footprint beyond Central Asia and the Caucasus to include a broadening array of collaboration and capacity-building partnerships with African, Middle East and South Asian partners, which is ever expanding.

All the ISTC members were represented in today’s Governing Board meeting which will be followed by strategic discussions on December 8 to guide the future direction of the ISTC. The ISTC Secretariat briefed the Parties on its ongoing operations, including its current programming which consists of 69 ongoing projects that involve a spectrum of impactful work involving nuclear forensics and remediation efforts to support countries in the region (including the Kyrgyz Republic) to mitigate the impact of industrial incidents, strengthening partner countries’ abilities to respond to future pandemics, and capacity building to support partner countries’ clean energy needs, among many other projects.

The Parties also discussed their efforts to support the ISTC’s sister center, the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), the Ukrainian scientific community, and countering disinformation towards the Centers’ activities.