How We Work

The following program units and advisory structures address international issues at the National Academies.

Office of the Foreign Secretaries ~ Foreign Secretaries, elected by the membership of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, serve as official representatives of each institution to counterpart science academies and other international organizations. Learn more...

Distinguished Presidential Fellows for International Activities ~ are prominent members of the scientific, engineering, and medical communities appointed by the Presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. Learn more...

Board on African Science Academy Development ~ A new National Academies initaitive will directly engage African academies of science in building their capacity to provide independent, evidence-based advice to their governments and the public. The 10-year initiative, funded by a generous grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, will focus on health-related issues. Visit their web site!

Board on International Scientific Organizations ~ evaluates opportunities and barriers in collaborative international scientific research. Visit their website!

Board on Global Health ~ concerned with advancing the health of populations worldwide. Visit their website!

Coordinating Committee on Global Change ~ fosters coordination and integration of National Academies activities related to global change science, technology and policy. Visit their website!

Committee on Human Dimensions of Global Change ~ serves as a source of broad scientific expertise and judgment for setting agendas for research on human-environment interactions. Visit their website!

Committee on Human Rights ~ works on behalf of scientists, engineers and health professionals anywhere in the world who are unjustly detained or imprisoned for exercising their basic human rights. Visit their website!

Committee on International Security and Arms Control ~ engages influential scientists and policy analysts from key countries to develop ideas and strategies promoting new, cooperative approaches to security issues. Visit their website!

Committee on Monitoring International Labor Standards ~ seeks to develop a sustainable system for monitoring compliance with core international labor standards. Visit their website!

Committee on Population ~ brings the knowledge and methods of the population sciences to bear on major issues of science and public policy. Visit their website!

Development, Security and Cooperation ~ examines technical and policy challenges facing developing, transitional, and advanced industrial societies. Visit their website!

International Visitors Office ~ provides useful information related to visas. Visit their website!

Office for Central Europe and Eurasia ~ provides grants to individual American specialists who plan to establish new research partnerships with their colleagues in Central/Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS). Visit their website!

Science and Technology for Sustainability Program ~ encourages the use of science and technology to achieve long term sustainable development - increasing incomes, improving public health, and sustaining critical natural systems. Visit their website!