The Commission for Biological Education of IUBS was established in the early seventies as the Union's educational arm. Its major role is to formulate, initiate and facilitate effective methods of improving education in the biological sciences and allied fields, including the applications and implications of biological studies. The Commission is also committed to assist in the international dissemination and exchange of information about biological education and it acts in a consultative capacity when appropriate.

Besides the support of its parent body, the Commission has been fortunate in receiving cooperation and financial support from various bodies, particularly UNESCO and other regional and national organisations.

In the early evolution of the Commission's work, there was an international congress held in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1975. It was organised by the Commission with the co-sponsorship of UNESCO. Its aim was to define and evaluate current trends in biological education world wide; identify the issues, problems and challenges; and propose cooperative action required to deal with the variety of demands on biological education in the future.

Following the Uppsala congress, the Commissions policies were adapted to be more directly relevant to educational practice and mindful of broader concerns such as social health and environment. The Commission thus became more fully international and its interest reflected a particular concern for developing countries. During the past decades the Commissions activities have mainly involved working on projects guided by the said broader perspectives.

Its initial project was concerned with Biological Education for Community Development and among topics covered since are: University Biology for Non-Specialists; Out-of-school Biology Education; Field work for Secondary Schools in the Tropics; Health Education through Biology Teaching; Biology Education for Sustainable Development; Teaching of Systematics; Computers in Biological Education; Educational Aspects of Bioethics; Biotechnology Education; Biology Education and Basic Human Needs; Biology , Humanities and Education; New Learning Models for the Teaching of Biology; Health and Environment;Order and Diversity in the Living World-teaching about taxonomy and systematics in schools; and Teaching Neurobiology and Behaviour. The product of each project was published in book form.

In association with the said work, the Commission has held regular annual meetings each held in a different country, e.g. UK, Germany, Finland, Australia, Singapore, India, Kenya, Netherlands, Japan, France, and Russia. Members of the Commission have also contributed to the work of a number of other international and regional bodies with similar interests.

BioEd 2000 was organised by the IUBS-CBE in collaboration with the 'Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle', in Paris, France and 'Laboratoire de Didactique et Epistémologie des Sciences', the University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, and with the co-sponsorship and assistance of UNESCO

More information can be obtained from Dr. Faqir Vohra, Secretary General, IUBS-CBE, 51 Blvd de Montmorency 75016 Paris.