Leading global experts serving on the UN Secretary-General’s Scien-tific Advisory Board have identified key scientific challenges that must be addressed to ensure sustainability during their 3rd meeting, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 25-26 May. The central function of the Board is to provide advice on science, technology and innovation (STI) for sustainable development to the Secretary-General and to the UN system. Established by UNESCO on behalf of Ban Ki-moon, the Board brings together the collective capacity of all relevant scientific fields, with due regard to social and ethical dimensions of sustainable development.

The Board concluded its 3rd meeting with recommendations on a range of issues from how to coordinate global data collection and create access that reduces the data divide between rich and poor, to improving the use of scientific knowledge in policy-making at all levels, along with advice on leading climate change-related risks.

"Never before has the world faced such a need for sound scientific knowledge and expertise, to better understand and tackle rising global challenges” said UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, co-chair of the meeting. “The Scientific Advisory Board brings together a range of disciplines, crossing thematic boundaries and policy lines. We need precisely this kind of 360° vision to better understand the challenges the world faces today and to craft new – vision-driven – solutions to tackle them."