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PhosAgro PAOAnnouncement

17/02/2016 12:50

For Immediate Release                                       14 December 2015

UNESCO Awards Grants to World's Best Chemistry Researchers in Cooperation with 
                              PhosAgro and IUPAC                               

                  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organisation ("UNESCO") has awarded leading chemistry researchers from around
the world with grants to support research in the field of green chemistry under
a joint programme with PhosAgro and the International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry ("IUPAC"). The event took place during the UN Secretary-General's
Scientific Advisory Board meeting and the Congress of UNESCO Chairs.

The grant award ceremony was attended by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova,
the Secretary-General of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO
Grigory Ordzhonikidze, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir
Frolov, St. Petersburg Governor Georgy Poltavchenko, the Rector of the St.
Petersburg National Mineral Resources University Vladimir Litvinenko, the
recently re-elected President of IUPAC and Director of the Institute for
Chemistry and Sustainable Development of the D. Mendeleev University of
Chemical Technology of Russia Natalya Tarasova, Member of the Commission of the
Russian Federation for UNESCO Andrey Guryev, UNESCO Assistant Director-General
for Natural Sciences Flavia Schlegel, and IUPAC Treasurer, Professor John
Corish of the Trinity College Dublin School of Chemistry at the University of
Dublin.

The Green Chemistry for Life programme was launched on 29 March 2013 at the
UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.  The goal of the partnership was to
support talented young scientists engaged in green chemistry projects aimed at
protecting the environment, creating energy-efficient processes and integrating
environmentally-friendly technologies with innovative new ideas.

The "Green Chemistry for Life" programme is unique because it is the first time
in the history of UNESCO and the entire UN system that such an initiative has
been implemented on an extra-budgetary basis with support from a Russian
company.  PhosAgro originally suggested the initiative to support basic
research by young scientists from around the world in cooperation with the
Russian Federation Ministry of International Affairs and the Commission of the
Russian Federation for UNESCO.

This year the international scientific jury reviewed 119 applications for
grants, and awarded the six best applicants.  The winners hail from Italy (Dr.
Daniele Leonori), Australia (Dr. Alexander Bissember), Argentina (Dr. Natalia
Quici), Bulgaria (Dr. Svilen Simeonov), Iran (Dr. Mehdi Mohammadi), and South
Africa (Dr. Allan Prior).  One of the winners, Dr. Allan Prior from South
Africa, is researching a bio-renewable and bio-catalytic approach toward the
synthesis of higher value organic products from anacardic acid found in cashew
nut shells, a by-product of cashew nut farming in Africa.

Grigory Ordzhonikidze, Secretary-General of the Commission of the Russian
Federation for UNESCO, said: "This project aims to achieve the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015. 
It is no secret that environmental issues are among the top priorities for the
world today.  We understand now better than ever that damage to the environment
and climate change are too high a price to pay for progress.  This project to
support scientists engaged in the development of new technologies aimed at
decreasing negative impact on the environmental is an important part of the
wide range of steps that we are taking as a global community to protect the
environment."

Vladimir Litvinenko, Rector of the St. Petersburg National Mineral Resources
University, said: "Any technology that is used to process mineral resources
will have an impact on the biosphere. At the same time, it would be impossible
to stop all mining and processing of subsoil minerals - this would force
humanity back into the stone age.  This is why we cannot discuss whether or not
to engage in mining, but how to minimise the impact on the environment and
minimise environmental risks by using the best available equipment and
technologies.  This is one of the key tasks facing scientists in this field."

PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev said: "The time for green chemistry is now: we have
the opportunity to influence the future of our planet with the help of
important new scientific research.  I hope that every one of the laureates will
be successful at developing their projects in a way that opens up new
opportunities for economic growth combined with protection of the environment
for future generations.  Finding real-world applications for these projects, I
believe, will also support global food security.

"This programme is an important sign of solidarity between the mineral
fertilizers industry and the scientific community, which is supported by
PhosAgro's continued active cooperation with UNESCO and IUPAC on the
international Green Chemistry for Life project."

"First of all this project raises awareness of green chemistry among younger
scientists at a most critical time in their careers. Second, it advances the
careers specifically of young green chemists. The hardest part of any career is
getting started, finding somebody to provide the first independent research
funding. This program is "a marriage made in heaven". The three collaborating
institutions are very well matched. PhosAgro very generously provides the
funding. UNESCO has tremendous contacts around the world in the basic sciences
and IUPAC in which I serve provides the essential scientific expertise." said
the IUPAC Treasurer, Professor John Corish of the Trinity College Dublin School
of Chemistry at the University of Dublin.

UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Flavia Schlegel said:
"PhosAgro, well-known for its environmental and social awareness, is the first
Russian industrial company in the history of UNESCO to have proposed, and
sponsored, an initiative to promote green chemistry. It is doing so through the
PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Partnership in Green Chemistry for Life for which it has
generously provided 1,400,000 US$ for a 5-year programme of grants to be
awarded for promising research projects proposed by young scientists. The
programme, led by an International Scientific Jury, seeks to identify the best
young researchers and help them to bring their excellent scientific ideas to
fruition. The strategy of the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Partnership in support of
young scientists will without doubt bring substantial returns, which are
particularly called for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals."

Dr. Alexander Bissember of Australia, one of the grant recipients, said "in
today's world science and basic research need as much support as they can get. 
The fact that this programme was developed specifically to support researchers
from around the world at the start of their careers makes it especially useful
and important.  I hope that other companies follow PhosAgro's example and start
to support research aimed at developing 'green' chemical processes."

For further information please contact:

Timur Belov, Press Officer

Anastacia Basos, Deputy Press Secretary

+7 495 232 9689

Additional information is available on the PhosAgro website: www.phosagro.com



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