1. The Foreign Ministry announces that Ambassador for Science and Technology Cooperation Min Dong-pil was appointed to the Science Advisory Board of the UN Secretary-General, which was formed on September 24.

2. At the First High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development inaugurated by the UN General Assembly in New York on September 24, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that he organized the Science Advisory Board consisting of 26 members from different regions and fields.

o UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova notified the Executive Committee on October 2 that the Science Advisory Board was created and UNESCO will lead the Secretariat of the Board. The UNESCO Director-General sent congratulatory messages to representatives of countries the Board members come from, while sending notification letters to representatives of all member countries.

3. A UN high-level advisory committee proposed the creation of the Science Advisory Board to the UN Secretary-General to realize the vision adopted at the Rio+20 meeting in June, 2012. The Board aims to link science and policy more closely so that the High-Level Political Forum can show political leadership based on more solid scientific foundation. The Board will also work to make scientific discovery reflected in the policies of the High-Level Political Forum in a swift manner and advise the UN Secretary-General on science-related issues.

4. Concerning the composition of the Advisory Board, it is most notable that the Board has the same number of males and females, with thirteen each. It consists of six from Africa, six from Europe, nine from Asia and Oceania, and five from the Americas and most of them are from the fields of biology, marine science and environment.

o The Board also includes government officials of different countries, officials from international research groups and policy committees and experts in global governance, international relations and public health. This demonstrates the UN’s effort to bring together diverse backgrounds.

o Ambassador Min was recommended for the post by UNESCO headquarters and the International Council for Science, which highly praised his record in planning and developing a national project for scientific development, promoting cooperation with underdeveloped countries in science and technology and transferring technology to them, and establishing and operating global network for science and technology.

5. The inauguration ceremony and first meeting of the Science Advisory Board will be held in December. In the meeting, the chairperson of the Board will be elected and the Board’s functions and activities will be discussed in detail. 


              Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Relations of MOFA

*unofficial translation