IUGG's Contribution to IPY and IGY+50

The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics was instrumental in the planning and implementing the Internatinal Geophysical Year 1957-58 and is now keen to participate in IGY's fiftieth anniversary 2007-08. There are three kinds of activities being planned by IUGG and its seven associations: 1. There will be a symposium at IUGG General Assembly in 2007 that will summarize the tremendous step forward that IGY meant to the geophysical disciplines, in particular in the polar regions, and will highlight the progress made since. 2. IAGA, IUGG's Association for Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, will be supported by all other associations in preparing an Electronic Geophysical Year, eGY, that is to promote geoscientific data availability and access worldwide through a coordinated international initiative, making use of modern digital communication technologies. Note that a paper on eGY is presented in Union Symposium 06. 3. At the Union level and through its associations and their commissions IUGG will become involved in the International Polar Year and in the International Year of the planet Earth of IUGS. In addition to its traditional emphasis on geosciences IUGG involvement will be open to human aspects of polar regions as well. This paper will present examples of possible contributions of IUGG to IPY.