Dr Saleemul Huq appointed to UN’s Scientific Advisory Board

Leading global climate expert Dr Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) and a professor of environmental science at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), has been appointed as one of the external members of the United Nations’ new Scientific Advisory Board.

"I am deeply honoured and humbled to be appointed as one of the external members of the UN's Scientific Advisory Board. This further strengthens my commitment to advancing climate science and finding sustainable solutions to the challenges we face. Together, we can make a difference and drive positive change for a sustainable future," said Dr Huq on the occasion. 

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the creation of the board on August 03, 2023, said a UN press release. 

Centred around a hybrid model, the board is comprised of seven scientists with expertise in humanities and a  group of chief scientists from different UN entities, the UN University Rector, and the Tech Envoy. 

The board will act as a hub of scientific networks. It will advise UN leaders on breakthroughs in science and technology, help harness the benefits of these advances, and mitigate potential risks. 

The six other external members of the board are: Prof. Yoshua Bengio from Université de Montréal, Canada; Prof. Sandra Díaz from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina; Prof. Fei-Fei Li from Stanford University, USA; Prof. Alan Lightman from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA; Prof. Thuli Madonsela from Stellenbosch University, South Africa; and Prof. Thomas C. Südhof from the Stanford University School of Medicine, USA. 

They specialise in a variety of disciplines including climate change and development, computer science, ecology, human-centred artificial intelligence, humanities, law, and molecular and cellular physiology.