After 25 years of collaboration with African universities, the University won recognition from the United States delegation to a United Nations summit devoted to international environmental issues.
The Southern Africa-Virginia Networks and Associations, officially ratified by the University and four African universities in late July,2002, was designed to address environmental and health topics pertaining to southern Africa.
In a special session of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held last Friday in Johannesburg, South Africa, the U.S. delegation cited SAVANA as a positive example of the international relationships necessary to confront environmental issues.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development is a meeting of government officials, leaders of various non-governmental agencies and businesses to address international issues of conservation.
Delegation member Twig Johnson, the director for science and technology for sustainability at the National Academy of Sciences, described the University's efforts as "a good example of international cooperation for science and policy in Africa."
Environmental Sciences Prof. Paul Desanker is currently in Johannesborg participating in the consortium.
Environmental Sciences Prof. Hank Shugart, the director of the University's Global Environmental Change Program, said the University's relationship with the African universities is groundbreaking in several ways.
"One of the things that we're doing that's unusual is that we're working with a network of African universities," he said, adding that former partnerships between American and foreign universities have been conducted on a one-on-one basis.
The four universities involved with the SAVANA program are the University of Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique, the universities of Witwatersrand and Venda in South Africa and the University of Botswana.
Shugart also mentioned that the University previously taught joint courses with the African universities using telecommunication technology.
"Everybody's face is on a TV screen," allowing for discussions to take place between the two groups of students, he said.
A second group of researchers, called South Africa Regional Science Initiative, also originated at the University. SAFARI, which recently earned a medal for public service from NASA, conducted research on the southern African atmosphere.
Environmental Sciences Prof. Robert Swap, who led the SAFARI team, said the University's existing relationship with African universities helped give rise to SAFARI.
"The whole SAFARI 2000 project was born out of the University of Virginia in 1998," he said.
Shugart expressed enthusiasm about the recognition the University received in response to its oversees relationships.
"I was very, very pleased" with Johnson's comments, he said. "We hope it will generate some good publicity."
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