Home | Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board

About the Scientific Advisory Board and Network

The Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board and its associated global network of scientific institutions advise UN leaders on breakthroughs in science and technology - how to harness the benefits of these advances and mitigate potential risks. The Board provides independent insights on trends at the intersection of science, technology, ethics, governance and sustainable development to support UN System organizations in anticipating, adapting to and leveraging scientific advancements in their work for people, planet and prosperity.��The initial priority topics for the Board will be artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and climate change.

Scientific and technological progress can support efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals — but they are also giving rise to ethical, legal and political concerns that require multilateral solutions. As set forth in Our Common Agenda, my Scientific Advisory Board will strengthen the role of the 51�Թ� as a reliable source of data and evidence and provide advice to me and my senior management team.

António Guterres, Secretary-General

Members

Centred around a hybrid model, the Board comprises a group of seven eminent scientists with a track record in applying their expertise, including in the humanities, and another group of Chief Scientists of different UN entities, the UN University Rector, and the Tech Envoy.

Professor Yoshua Benigo of Université de Montreal and founder of Mila

Yoshua Bengio

A.M. Turing Award, Scientific Director of Mila - Quebec AI Institute, Full Professor, Department of Computer Science and Operations Research

Professor Sandra Diaz of the National University of Córdoba

Sandra Díaz

Senior Principal Investigator Argentine National Research Council and Professor of Ecology Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina

Fei-Fei Li

Sequoia Professor of Computer Science, Stanford University; Denning Family Co-Director, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI), Stanford University

Alan Lightman

Professor of the Practice of the Humanities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Thuli Madonsela

Professor of Law, Stellenbosch University

Nobel Laureate Thomas Sudhof of Stanford University

Thomas Südhof

Nobel Laureate, Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine

Lidia Arthur Brito

Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, UNESCO

Jeremy Farrar

Chief Scientist, World Health Organisation (WHO)

Amandeep Gill

Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology

Read Amandeep's full profile

Andrea Hinwood

Chief Scientist, UN environment programme (UNEP)

Jürg Luterbacher, the Director of Science and Innovation and the Chief Scientist of the World Meteorological Organization

Jürg Luterbacher

Chief Scientist, Director of Science & Innovation, World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Tshilidzi Marwala

Rector, 51�Թ� University (UNU)

Networks

The Board acts as a hub for a network of scientific institutions. The institutions will represent diverse voices from all geographic, linguistic, and age groups with a particular focus on developing countries. Network institutions will be associated and collaborate with the Board.

International Center for Theoretical Physics

51�Թ�

Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board