A campaign spearheaded by the American Physical Society and the German Physical Society is aiming to persuade the United Nations to make 2025 the UNESCO International Year of Quantum Science and technology, the Journal Physics World reported. The proposal for International Year has the support of about 30 academies of science and physical societies from six continents, including the Institute of Physics- the publisher of Physics World.
Once approved, 2025 will set the stage for a series of workshops, conferences, festivals and activities in schools, coordinated by national nodes worldwide. Generally, UNESCO International Years are held to advance the UN's goals by spreading awareness of the particular year's theme and its importance to society. Global physicists are planning to celebrate 2025 as the year of quantum science and technology,
Joe Niemela of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, who is at the forefront of the campaign, says it is crucial to include everyone, from policymakers and diplomats to the students and general public, in the year's activities.
While talking in the Physics World Weekly podcast, Niemela said it would become a platform for scientists to address a broader audience. Technological solutions need to be developed for global problems. They wish all people to understand how that technology improves human's quality life. He further said that having an official UNESCO international Year is a productive way to convince people of the importance of the theme.
The year 2025 was chosen as it marks the centenary of Werner Heisenberg's efforts to develop the mathematical function of quantum phenomena which allowed numerical calculations about quantum interactions to be made. The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) endorsed the proposal during its 30th general assembly in October. According to Niemela, this development became a milestone for the campaigners as IUPAP is a full member of UNESCO's strong partner International Science Council.
A proposal must be laid on UNESCO executive board's agenda in 2022. The board has representatives of about 60 UN member nations. The campaigners will spend the next months liaising with member nations' delegations to find sponsors and co-supporters. The proposal would then be tabled on the agenda of the UN general assembly in 2023 for approval.