The International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development (IOCD)1 is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization launched in 1981. IOCD’s mission is to promote the pursuit and application of the chemical sciences for sustainable, equitable human development and economic growth. It does this through the operation of Action Groups, Projects and Working Groups: current activities include Materials for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage; Chemists for Sustainability (C4S); Green and Sustainable Electronics; Chemistry Education; and Promoting the Chemical Sciences for Development. The C4S activity has included championing the repositioning of chemistry as a science for the benefit of society and a sustainability science, and the introduction of systems thinking into chemistry.2 This inspired two successive projects of IUPAC that are also supported by IOCD and focus on the introduction of systems thinking into chemistry education and practice.3,4 Among its other activities, IOCD runs an annual Essay Competition, Young Voices in the Chemical Sciences for Sustainability, which was launched in 2023 with sponsorship from the Royal Society of Chemistry. This encourages young people to write about their perspectives on the roles chemistry must play in sustainability for people and planet.5
1. International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development, Namur. http://www.iocd.org
2. S. A. Matlin, G. Mehta, H. Hopf, A. Krief. ‘One-world’ chemistry and systems thinking. Nature Chem, 2016, 8, 393-6, https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.2498
3. IUPAC Project No. 2017-010-1-050. Learning Objectives and Strategies for Infusing Systems Thinking into (Post)-Secondary General Chemistry Education. https://iupac.org/project/2017-010-1-050
4. IUPAC Project No. 2020-014-3-050. Systems Thinking in Chemistry for Sustainability: Toward 2030 and Beyond (STCS 2030+). https://iupac.org/project/2020-014-3-050
5. Global Essay Competition. International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development, Namur, 20244. http://www.iocd.org/v3_site/Sources/essay_competition.html