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York psychologist delivers young scientists’ call to UN

Posted on 15 December 2014

A University of York psychologist addressed the second meeting of the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) in Paris, stressing the importance of science for achieving sustainability and poverty reduction.

Dr Rob Jenkins, of the Department of Psychology at York, is a member of the executive committee of the Global Young Academy (GYA) which aims to empower and mobilise early career scholars to address issues of high importance to science and society.

The speech contained five recommendations which GYA say will bolster the UN’s ability to achieve the Post-2015 goals of sustainability and poverty reduction:

• Adopt a strong definition of ‘sustainability’that includes environmental, social, and economic development and impact mitigation
• Integrate science directly into the development agenda by ensuring that actions taken to achieve every Sustainable Development Goal are based on the best evidence available
• Embed science into multi-stakeholder discussionsto ensure the Post-2015 framework has the capacity to develop solutions whenever and wherever they are needed
• Promote science as a tool for diplomacy and security to provide bothinnovative, robust solutions for development and provide a bridge between cultures and nations around the world
• Develop output goals for scientific investmentthat include measures of progress towards development goals and how effectively outputs are utilized by policy-makers and transmitted to stakeholders

Dr Jenkins said: “Through the Global Young Academy, the SAB has the opportunity to reach out to, and cooperate with, younger scientists who are interested in policy dialogue. At the same time, the GYA gives these motivated young scientists the opportunity to develop competence and experience in policy advice from an early stage

“The SAB can play a crucial role in democratizing access to knowledge, building public trust, supporting the active partnership of scientists and civil society. When specific, substantive issues arise, the GYA can mobilize our network and identify appropriate researchers to contribute. Young scientists are ready to help.”

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