On 3 October 2022, citizen science networks and practitioners from around the world welcomed the formation of the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP), a newly established association which seeks to promote and advance Citizen Science for a sustainable world.
The partnership’s mission is to coordinate the collaboration of existing citizen science practitioners with international organizations and governments, and support the use of citizen science data and tools as key contributor to the global effort towards sustainable development.). It will establish diverse and inclusive partnerships across geographies, cultures, and research domains, promoting citizen science as a unifying, enabling and multiplying force for change.
At the partnership’s core is a network-of-networks of six citizen science associations that cover most of the globe: the Australian Citizen Science association (ACSA), Citizen Science Africa Association, CitizenScience.Asia, the US-based Citizen Science Association (CSA), the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA), and the Ibero-American Network of Participatory Science (RICAP).
CSGP is incorporated as a non-profit association in Austria hosted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), with University of Geneva and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna as founding partners. The interim secretariat has been established at IIASA.
“IIASA is pleased to be the founding host member of the Citizen Science Global Partnership. Citizen science is important to strengthen societal participation and understanding of the scientific process, but also, to contribute to the democratization of science around the globe” says IIASA Director General Albert van Jaarsveld.
At the first general assembly of the CSGP association, experts from UNEP, UNESCO and UNICEF emphasized the importance of this partnership to help their organizations connect with the wider world of citizen science. An initial set of board members from the six citizen science associations and the founding members were elected. The elected Chair of the Board is Martin Brocklehurst, representing ECSA, and the Vice Chair is Libby Hepburn, representing ACSA.
“I am delighted to be elected to Chair the Board of the Citizen Science Global Partnership. We are seeing the birth of a major change in the way global environmental challenges are tackled. Through citizen science every person on the planet will have the opportunity to be part of the solution”, Brocklehurst comments.
The CSGP is looking forward to welcoming more CSAs as members, as well as civil society and private sector organizations active in the area of CS.
For Maina Muniafu, Chair of CitSciAfrica Association, “this is indeed an exciting day for Citizen Science and marks the crowning of a journey that began a few years back. Congratulations and much appreciation to the pioneering associations that selflessly assisted in the birthing of new associations such as ours, and also welcomed us into this journey helping us to get our legs along the way. Long may CSGP prosper”.
For further information about the CSGP and its activities contact Rosy Mondardini, Managing Director of CS Center Zurich, at info@citizenscienceglobal.org
