FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With the beginning of a new decade, we must now gear up for new challenges to unfold new horizons and realise new dreams, and rediscover our strengths to become even more productive to accomplish new heights in South-South cooperation.

The year 2009 that we just bade goodbye, was highly exciting and rewarding, and the Centre continued to execute numerous significant activities with intense involvement of the scientists and professionals from across the globe.

The Centre is privileged to welcome Professor Tarek Hussein, President, Academy of Scientific Research & Technology (ASRT) of Egypt as it’s new President. He was unanimously elected to this exalted office during the 12^th meeting of the Governing Council (GC) of the Centre held in Cairo on 16-17 November 2009. We express our indebtedness to Prof. Carunia M. Firdausy, Deputy State Minister for Societal Dynamic in the Ministry of Research & Technology of Indonesia for his valuable guidance and support during his tenure as the President of the Centre's 11^th GC.

The GC was attended by 34 delegates from 20 member countries; The Ambassadors and senior representatives of 6 non-member countries were also present as observers. The significant highlights of the meeting included the commendations and encouraging remarks on four country members and the first ever industry member in the S&T-Industry Network having joined the Centre's family, and about the innovative measures taken by the Centre leading to significant increase in the scientific activities with minimal expenditure on administrative overheads. Six publications of the Centre on Coastal Ecosystems, Lightning Phenomenon, Traditional & Alternative Medicine, Microelectronics, Science Centres and Surface Engineering edited by eminent academicians, researchers and professionals; and a report titled 'Two Decades (1989-2009) of NAM S&T Centre: The Model for South-South Cooperation in Science & Technology' published to commemorate 20 glorious years of the Centre's establishment were released on this occasion.

In the last quarter, the Centre published three books titled 'Empowerment of Women through Science and Technology Interventions' edited by Prof. Nirupama Prakash, Prof. Barbara Wejnert and Dr. Betty McLellan, 'Enhancing Change through Science Centres' edited by Dr. Aman Kumar Maulloo and Mr. Lebs Mphahlele and 'Surface Engineering' edited by Dr. D. Srinivasa Rao and Dr. Shrikant V. Joshi.

Happy Reading!