Keeping on with the tradition of the recent ICMEs, the Japanese National Organizing Committee (NOC) for ICME-9 is proposing a program of financial support for participants from non-affluent countries. At this moment, the money available for this program will come from a "Solidarity Tax" taken on all registrations, as was the case for ICME-8, as well as from a generous grant of CHF 20 000 provided for ICME-9 by the International Mathematical Union (IMU). The NOC is also working on raising some private sponsorship within Japan for this purpose.
It should be noted that in all cases the support will be partial, so that grantees are expected to find ways of covering part of their expenses within their home countries. More information on this program will be given in the Second Announcement of ICME-9, to be issued around the end of September 1999. (See also the Interim Announcement of ICME-9, prepared by Hiroshi Fujita, appearing on pp. 24-31 of this issue of the ICMI Bulletin.)
Bernard R. Hodgson, Secretary