Press release: United Nations Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board

Science, cornerstone of sustainable development

Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General meets in Trieste

Paris, 19 May- The 26 leading scientists of the Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General will meet in Trieste, Italy, on 24 and 25 May to provide insights and recommendations on the crucial role of science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were adopted by the United Nations in the late 2015.

The Board will also focus on the following topics: climate change and climate induced risks, local and indigenous knowledge systems as enablers of sustainable development, as well as food security and health. The meeting will provide an opportunity to initiate a process of reflection on science consultation mechanisms for the United Nations system.

The preliminary conclusions of the meeting will be discussed at a press conference on Wednesday 25 May from 9:45 to 10:30 CET at the Budinich Lecture Hall in ICTP's Leonardo Building*. It will bring together Board members and the co-chairs of the meeting to discuss their new reports on climate change and sustainable development, among other topics. The co-chairs are Flavia Schlegel, Assistant Director-General for the Natural Sciences at UNESCO, and Fabiola Gianotti, Director-General of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Journalists who are unable to attend in person can access the press conference via online streaming at: http://www.ictp.it/streaming.aspx. Journalists who register for the streaming press conference will be able to ask questions remotely at the livestream site; the questions will be curated by an online moderator. Journalists can register and submit their questions in advance.

Journalists able to attend the press conference in person will be asked to register upon arrival at ICTP. For directions to the Centre, see www.ictp.it/visit-ictp/transportation/road-directions.aspx. Shortly after the press conference, from 11:30 to 13:00 CET, the UNSAB will hold a High-Level Open Session, "Strengthening Scientific Human Capacity in Developing Countries", featuring remarks by representatives of UNESCO, the Italian Government, and  international science organizations based in Italy. This event will also be livestreamed at the above URL, and will be moderated by Luigi Amodio, director of the science museum Città della Scienza in Naples.

The Scientific Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General seeks to inform the United Nations’ work by providing advice on science, technology and innovation for sustainable development. The Board brings together 26 eminent scientists from all regions of the world and aims to provide a complete picture of scientific needs to face global challenges. It will present its conclusions by the end of the year. UNESCO hosts the secretariat of the Board.

This 5th meeting is hosted by the Government of Italy and four international science organisations based in Trieste: the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of sciences in developing countries (TWAS), the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Five of the board members are Fellows of TWAS.

To follow the event on Twitter, use the hashtag: #UNSciBoard

More information:

• Members of the UN Secretary General’s Scientific Advisory Board  
• Website of the Scientific Advisory Board