Download Press Release, 21 January 2014

Press Release, 21 January 2014
The United Nations convenes its Scientific Advisory Board
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to open first meeting in Berlin
Mandated by the United Nations, 26 eminent international scientists are to meet for the
first time, in Berlin on 30 and 31 January 2014. They will be advising the United Nations on
issues of sustainable development such as food security, water scarcity, climate change and
demographic development. UNESCO hosts the secretariat for this new Scientific Advisory
Board. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will
open the first meeting together with the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter
Steinmeier.
By 2050, nine billion people will be living on our planet, and will demand food, water, raw
materials and energy. Yet already today, our lifestyle is impacting the planet. Some resources
are already scarce. Most current global challenges have environmental, social and economic
dimensions at the same time. Intelligent strategies to move towards sustainability are
urgently needed, which in particular require targeted research. The new UN Scientific
Advisory Board (SAB) is to meet for the first time in Berlin in order to assist the United
Nations in its commitment to support sustainable development globally.
The 26 scientists of the SAB will formulate recommendations addressed at UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon and at the executive heads of the specialized agencies of the UN. The
main thrust will be to better integrate scientific results into global political debates and
decision-making. "The SAB will serve as a global reference point to improve links between
science and public policies", said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
One of the SAB’s tasks is to examine whether new global assessment studies are needed.
New sustainability targets and the post-2015 development agenda currently being devised
will also be discussed. The SAB will meet twice a year, with video conferences in-between
meetings. The next meeting is scheduled for summer 2014 in Paris.
Scientists from a wide variety of fields are represented on the SAB, including the natural
sciences, engineering and social sciences as well as interdisciplinary ocean, climate and
biodiversity research. The members of the SAB have been appointed by UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon in September 2013.
The conference will be hosted by UNESCO, the only UN specialized agency with a specific
science mandate. As secretariat of the SAB, UNESCO is organising the Berlin meeting in
cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Commission for
UNESCO.
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