31 May 2016
UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board Discusses Final Recommendations on Climate Change, Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Food Security
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The fifth meeting of the UN Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) met to finalize the Board's recommendations to the UN Secretary-General on climate change and climate-induced risk; indigenous and local knowledge and science; science and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; food security and health; and future scientific advice to the UN Secretary-General and the UN system.

The Board is working to finalize policy briefs on each of these issues, which are expected to contain recommendations to support the timely implementation of the 2030 Agenda and focus on modalities for engaging science.

United Nations25 May 2016: The fifth meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) met to finalize the Board’s recommendations to the UN Secretary-General on climate change and climate-induced risk, indigenous and local knowledge and science, science and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, food security and health, and future scientific advice to the UN Secretary-General and the UN system. The Board is working to finalize policy briefs on each of these issues, which are expected to contain recommendations to support the timely implementation of the 2030 Agenda and focus on modalities for engaging science.

The meeting took place in Trieste, Italy, from 24-25 May 2016. The Government of Italy, the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Sciences in the Developing World (TWAS), the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) hosted the meeting. A high-level session on ‘Strengthening scientific human capacity in developing countries’ took place with SAB members, the Government of Italy, the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other international science organizations based in Italy.

The Board agreed to frame climate change as an issue of resilience and risk management, recognizing that climate-related risks are too serious and large to ignore. They also recognized that climate change disproportionately affects the poor. Board member Carlos Nobre, National Secretary for R&D Policies at Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation, is leading the Board’s preparation of a policy brief presenting this approach to climate science, which is also expected to draw from health policies in the face of risk and uncertainty.

The Board stressed the role of local and indigenous knowledge in both sustainability and resilience, saying such knowledge systems inform day-to-day decision-making in many areas around the world. Board member Joji Carino, Director, Forest Peoples Programme (the Philippines), is charged with leading the Board’s development of a policy brief on indigenous knowledge and science for sustainable development.

On food security and health, the Board is focusing on three aspects: rapid global population growth and the challenge of feeding a growing world; changes in diets as a result of improved economies; and nutrition, including under-nutrition, micro-nutrient deficiencies and over-nutrition. Board member Gebisa Ejeta, Professor of Agronomy, Purdue University (Ethiopia), is leading the Board’s work on this issue.

The Board also discussed approaches and recommendations for maximizing the contribution of science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants stressed the need to recognize science as a universal public good that can enable and empower people to identify and generate solutions. They also highlighted the role of science in development, including through promoting interdisciplinary cooperation, enhancing diversity and strengthening science education. Meeting co-chair Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) (Italy), said the Board’s report will “offer advice on how to strengthen the links between scientists and decision-makers” and underscore the role of science and education in a sustainable world.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon created the SAB to inform the debate on sustainable development and strengthen the interface between science and policy. The Board includes 26 scientists representing many scientific disciplines, from all regions of the world. UNESCO hosts the Secretariat of the Board. [UNESCO Press Release, 19 May] [UNESCO Press Release, 25 May] [UN Secretary-General Message] [SAB Website] [Meeting Website] [Meeting Information]

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