UNESCO, 26 June Excellency Ms Kuni Sato, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO,

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1 Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the ceremony to award the UNESCO Medal For Contributions to the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies 26 June 2017 Excellency Ms Ruchira Kamboj, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to Excellency Mr Lionel Strenghart Veer, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Netherlands to Excellency Ms Kuni Sato, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Japan to Excellency Mr Sophann Ket, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Cambodia to Ms Tatiana Dovgalenko, Chargée d Affaires a.i. and Deputy Permanent Delegate of the Russian Federation to Mr Chris Hegadorn, Chargé d'affaires a.i and Deputy Permanent Delegate of the United States of America to Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Laureates, I am delighted to welcome you to UNESCO on the occasion of this award ceremony of the UNESCO Medal for Contributions to the Development of Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies. This is the 7 th edition of the Prize, and I remember well the first ceremony we held 7 years ago. DG/2017/088 Original: English

2 I must say it is moving to look back on the journey we have made together, on our efforts to support and highlight researchers of outstanding excellence -- allow me to pay tribute to the dozens of scientists who have received this prize over the last 7 years. Today again, we meet to celebrate exceptional scientists from across the world, scientists who are pushing back the frontiers of knowledge for the benefit of all. From stronger and lighter materials development to drug design, from water depollution to information and communication technologies nanoscience and nanotechnologies impact on our lives every single day and, yet, this cutting-edge field remains largely beyond the public eye. This is why this Medal was created 7 years ago on the initiative of the UNESCO Encyclopaedia of Life Support Systems one of the largest scientific knowledge bases in the world. We must do more to shine the spotlight on the tremendous benefits of nanoscience and nanotechnologies to all women and men, to all societies. This starts with providing role models to younger generations. role models to inspire them to reach their full potential. role models to mobilise them to advance social progress through their work. role models to lead them in taking forward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The new global agenda is ambitious, comprehensive and universal, and it makes the pledge to leave no behind Taking this forward calls for innovation and creativity -- it means making the most of every new source of dynamism. In this spirit, I wish to congratulate our first laureate. DG/2017/088 - Page 2

3 Dr Ashutosh Sharma is the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Science and Technology, and he is one of the key figures putting India on the way of nanotechnologies. He was awarded a range of prestigious distinctions for his work and is also an elected fellow of The World Academy of Sciences. I am pleased to invite Dr Sharma to receive the UNESCO Medal. Our second laureate is Professor Theo Rasing, founder and director of the Nijmegen Centre for Advanced Spectroscopy. With more than 300 publications, Professor Rasing has led a wide range of national and international programmes, and always dedicated to bridging the gap between research and society by participating in public debates and delivering lectures for general audiences. Professor Rasing, I am pleased to invite you to receive the UNESCO Medal. This year, for the first time, we honour enterprises and corporations that are leading the way for the benefit of all. I am honoured to invite Mr Benoit Neel, Vice-President of Keysight Technologies from the United States of America to receive the UNESCO Medal. Keysight Technologies is devising ground-breaking nanotechnologies and manufacturing applications -- including the newest scanning probe microscopes, nano-indenter and universal testing machine used in basic and applied sciences. In the same spirit, I am pleased to welcome Toyoda Gosei from Japan. Toyoda Gosei is continuously developing cutting-edge technologies, driven by a spirit of constant innovation, supporting research and development for sustainable growth worldwide. DG/2017/088 - Page 3

4 Allow me to welcome Mr Toshihiro Yokoi, Managing Director, to receive the UNESCO Medal on behalf of Toyoda Gosei. Our next laureate is the Moscow Technological University of Russia. The work of the Moscow Technological University is recognized as cutting-edge across the world, as a modern educational and research centre contributing to the development of nanotechnologies and nanoscience training for students. I am pleased to welcome Professor Dr Natalia Golovanova, Vice-Rector, to receive the UNESCO Medal on behalf of the Moscow Technological University. Lastly, we have two laureates who could not come today for family reasons but whose names we wish to honour. First, Dr Hun Many -- Dr Hun Many is President of the Cambodian Union of Youth Federation, and has played a unique role in the promotion of nanotechnologies among young women and men in Cambodia. I am pleased to invite Ambassador Sophann Ket of Cambodia to receive the UNESCO Medal on behalf of Dr Hun Many. Our last laureate is Dr Vladimir Bolshakov. Dr Bolshakov is Director of the Saint Petersburg Social Psychological Centre, which is renowned for its use of nanoscience and nanotechnologies for interdisciplinary applications. I invite Ms Tatiana Dovgalenko, Deputy Permanent Delegate of the Russian Federation, to receive the UNESCO Medal on behalf of Dr Bolshakov. Ambassadors, Dear Laureates, Allow me to congratulate you all once again. DG/2017/088 - Page 4

5 These Medals are recognition of your outstanding contributions to widen the scope of knowledge for the benefit of all. They are also a call to action, to continue moving forward on your scientific journeys, to continue inspiring young women and men with the pioneering spirit of scientific innovation and scientific cooperation. Thank you. DG/2017/088 - Page 5