Sir Hilary Beckles, principal and pro vice-chancellor of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI), has been appointed a special adviser to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.The UN's top official wrote to Beckles late last month inviting him to be a member of the recently-established Scientific Advisory Board which will advise the secretary general and executive heads of other UN organisations on science, technology and innovation for sustainable development.
He said of his appointment: "This is a great personal honour and a signal recognition for the university."I have worked for many UN organisations over the years but to be an adviser to the Secretary General, in this new way, on sustainable development is special."
Beckles will join with internationally-renowned scientists from the fields of natural, social and human sciences on the board, which has been mandated to "strengthen the linkages between science and policy and to ensure the latest scientific findings are reflected in high-level policy discussions within the UN systems."
His appointment is for two years with the possibility of renewal for a further two years. It comes when he is heading a science and technology drive at Cave Hill as it transitions towards becoming a research-oriented university.
The advisory board was one of the recommendations coming out of a high-level panel on global sustainability, co-chaired by the former president of Finland, Tarja Kaarina Halonen, and South African President Jacob Zuma, which was formed in the lead-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in Brazil in June 2012.The board will function under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Beckles' latest international appointment follows that in March this year, when he was appointed to the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sports which advises the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth governments on sport policy.