Regional Offices Activities: jan – mar 2026

Andean

Objectives

    • Strengthening ties with entrepreneurs in indigenous communities
    • Building bridges between universities, entrepreneurs, and schools to strengthen the communication of science to society.
    • Carry out joint observation activities and outreach activities

Activities

    • Step 1: Virtual Training Program – Launch an online training program for entrepreneurs focused on basic astronomy, science communication, and entrepreneurship.
    • Step 2: Share experiences
    • Step 3: Analyze the Impact and Sustainability of the experiences
    • Step 4: Call for Collaborative Projects

          The course began on April 8th. With the presence of 62 entrepreneurs in Astrotourism.

Arab World and Arabic Language

  • In the first quarter of 2026, the Arab Regional Office for Astronomy for Development (AW-ROAD), in partnership with the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences (AUASS), carried out a diverse range of scientific, educational, and cultural activities throughout the Arab world. These initiatives emphasised astronomy education, youth involvement, capacity building, public outreach, and regional collaboration in space governance and sustainable development.

East Africa

  • The EA-ROAD Coordinator, Ms. Meklit Wegayehu, participated virtually in the 6th Annual Assembly of the African Astronomical Society (AfAS), held from 20–27 March 2026 in Kasane, Botswana.
  • EA-ROAD successfully coordinated and relaunched the East African Astronomical Society (EAAS) through an online election held from 17–18 March 2026. A new Executive Committee has been elected to lead the society.
  • The EA-ROAD Advisor, Dr. Alemiye Mamo, participated in the 1st EAAS Executive Committee meeting  held on  8th of April 2026 and provided an overview of EAAS, the regional astronomical landscape, and the role of EAAS in developing and strengthening the astronomical community, as well as promoting the use of astronomy for development.

Updates from Regional Countries

Ethiopia

  • The Ethiopian Space Science Society (ESSS) and the Astronomical Society of Ethiopia (ASE) are preparing to hold their 21st and 1st General Assemblies in April and May 2026, respectively.

Tanzania

  • Participated in Dark Sky Astrotourism training on 19-22 September 2025 in Karatu, Arusha, and presented on Pioneering Astrotourism in Tanzania.
  • Presented a talk on Distances in Solar System – Solar System Model using Bode’s Law for Exoplanet Habitability on 28 March for the IAU-NASE (Network for Astronomy School Education) workshop on the 6th Event Bridge between Cultures for the annual celebration of International Day of Light under the project “Find your Exoplanet”

North America

Programs

Partnerships

  • The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) has stepped down as one of NA-ROAD’s partners in light of the current political climate. Adler Planetarium is also currently on hold as a partner. These changes make partnership diversification an immediate priority for NA-ROAD. Once we receive confirmation from Adler regarding their participation, we will work with our Advisory Board members to identify new partners across the region who can better represent the full geographical scope of NA-ROAD.

Portuguese Language

  • Celebrating 10 years of PLOAD. The selection of the best postcards received in the Mail Art Call is underway. An online form was prepared for the voting. A jury of 5 people with different backgrounds related to astronomy for development, astronomy outreach and art will vote for the main winners and the PLOAD team of coordinators and collaborators will vote for the Honorable Mentions in four different categories (Adult, Youth, Children and PLOAD Community. The final result will be available on 5th May (World Portuguese Language Day). Many of the postcards are available to view on Facebook and Instagram. (Complete information is available here, including a photo gallery, in Portuguese.)
  • Celebrating International Women’s Day. The PLOAD team shared in our social media short videos with relevant women in Astronomy from different Portuguese speaking countries, sharing their experiences and knowledge.
  • AirbusFoundation Seed Funding programme. The project started in Mars with translation to Portuguese of the materials from the Airbus Foundation. The activities will be carried out from May 2026 to May 2027.
  • Science and Arts: Exhibition of the science and art exhibit “Afro-Pindoramic Cosmology and Cosmopolitics” at the Rio de Janeiro’s Planetarium. Book: https://lume.ufrgs.br/bitstream/handle/10183/291336/001256375.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 
  • Science and Arts: Exhibition of the traveling science and art exhibition “Afro-Pindoramic Cosmology and Cosmopolitics” in Pará, northern Brazil.
  • Science, Arts and Inclusiveness: Launch of the YouTube channel “Afropindormics: cosmologies and cosmopolitics, featuring the Jeguatá-Xirê film, winner of awards at national and international festivals, and 18 videos explaining panels from the “Afro-Pindoramic Cosmology and Cosmopolitics” exhibition, both in Brazilian Sign Language and Indigenous Sign Languages. Link: https://www.youtube.com/@Afropindor%C3%A2micas

PLOAD Newsletter. PLOAD has a newsletter to keep members and other interested people informed about the latest developments in each member country. Like many other PLOAD contents, the newsletter is available in Portuguese. A mailing list was also created.

Southern Africa

  • 3 IAU OAD proposals in the Southern African region were granted funding for implementation in 2026.
  • The SA-ROAD website maintenance has been completed, and the site has been relaunched. https://southernafrica.astro4dev.org/
  • The PAP2SN project has been launched and is providing opportunities for student mobility in Africa.  https://www.pap2sn.com/
  • The office sent two people to attend the Astro tourism workshop in Botswana to learn best practices and how to help members in the region to engage in this flagship program.
  • The AfAS conference was successfully hosted in Botswana with over 300 delegates. The conference was preceded by a number of pre-events
    • AstroLab trainers’ workshop
    • Hackathon
    • Blueshift workshop  https://sites.google.com/site/lestrubbe/workshops-resources/blueshift-africa

South East Asia

  • Willy Benz (IAU President) and Diana Worral (IAU General Secretary) official visit at NARIT: First standing IAU president official visit to the SEA region, discuss the state of SEA-ROAD, and other possible IAU-NARIT collaborations
  • Astronomy camp for the visually-impaired students
  • Starry Night over Chiang Mai: Dark Sky awareness public event. 2k+ visitors
  • SKA Asia-Pacific regional meeting hosted by NARIT: First Asia-Pacific regional meeting for the SKA
  • ITCA Board meeting (with Kevin Govender): First on-site board meeting for the International Training Centre in Astronomy under the auspices of UNESCO (ITCA)
  • ASEAN Astronomy Camp: Student camp with 42 students 3 observers from 12 countries.
  • Astrotourism exhibit during Thailand Tourism expo
  • Astrotourism workshop in Maun, Botswana with BIUST, Joyful and Samyukta: 
  • Teacher Capacity-building workshop in Kasane, Botswana with BIUST
  • Participated in the AfAS conference. Delivered a plenary on the development of Astronomy in Thailand.

South West and Central Asia

  • Office to host the IAU Division C Communicating Astronomy with the Public Conference 2026 (CAP-2026) – 25-29 May 2026 
  • Discussion on regional coordination in observations, VOs, and Scientific Tourism.
  • EAS Business Meeting with Affiliated Societies, Areg Mickaelian’s and Gayane Baleyan’s participation.
  • “Shant” TV Morning program with Areg Mickaelian: Astronomy in the World and in Armenia.

West Africa

  • FAST4Future project has commenced and is still ongoing.
  • Women and Girls’ in Astronomy was held on the 11th February, 2026. In attendance were about 100 students.
  • PAPSSN had been concluded this year and PAP2SN has commenced. The project is aimed at pioneering initiative uniting African universities, researchers, and students to advance education, innovation, and mobility in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and ICT. This call is open to all African nationals and/or residents and will close on 31st of May 2026.
  • We are organizing a program titled The Universe as Common Ground: Reframing Peace through Astronomy, Mental Health and Abrahamic Thought. The program is aimed at using the concept of Abraham accord to sue for peace within the West African region. We are at the planning stage now.