GYA Co-Chair Yensi Flores Bueso (University College Cork, Ireland) represented the GYA at the second annual retreat of the UN Secretary General’s Scientific Advisory Board (UN SAB) this September in New York, United States. Members of the UN SAB – representatives of scientific organizations from around the world – met in person to collaborate and prioritize their work for the coming year.
In its first year, the UN SAB regularly produced Science Briefs on topics from quantum mechanics to deep-sea mining, and other issues selected because of their relevance to policy and society.
At the 2025 retreat, the UN SAB adopted a joint statement on Open Science, calling for an accelerated transformation to open science, to ultimately strengthen science and society. It is vital to global progress that expertise is shared widely. Read the full statement here: Open Science | Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board.
GYA’s role in the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board
In 2024, the GYA became an institutional partner of the UN SAB, which, along with its associated global network of scientific institutions, advises UN leaders on breakthroughs in science and technology – particularly, how to harness the benefits of these advances and mitigate potential risks.
The UN SAB 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