About the Year of Sound

The International Year of Sound (IYS 2020) is a global initiative to highlight the importance of sound in all aspects of life on earth and will lead towards an understanding of sound-related issues at the national and international level.

The International Commission for Acoustics (ICA) is mobilizing its Member Societies and International Affiliates to promote best practices in sound during the year of 2020 to create an International Year of Sound (IYS 2020). This has been inspired by the efforts of La Semaine du Son (The Week of Sound), to achieve the approval by the UNESCO Executive Board for resolution 39C/49 “The Importance of Sound in Today’s World: Promoting Best Practices” to be included in the agenda for the 39th General Conference of UNESCO in 2017. The recommendation in that document (section 10) was then adopted as General Assembly Resolution 39C/59. The International Year of Sound 2020 follows naturally as an important contribution to that resolution.

The significance of the International Year of Sound has been recognized by the International Science Council in their April 2021 announcement.

Some details about the IYS 2020, the background, the structuring, the opportunities for sponsorship, can be found in the May 2019 Newsletter from the ICA President.

Education and Outreach on Sound for Society and the World Culture – Creativity – Nature – Health – Science – Technology Development – Education – History