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Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability Launched

Political leaders, scientists, and influential personalities issue emergency warning on sustainability inaction, establish a Global Commission to mobilize a $100 million a year global fund for Sustainability Science Missions

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Commission members include former NZ PM Helen Clark, former UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, film producer James Cameron and philanthropist Julie Wrigley      

9 December 2021 Paris, France: The International Science Council (ISC) is a non-governmental organization with a unique global membership bringing together over 200 international scientific unions and associations, as well as national and regional scientific organizations, academies, and research councils. Today in Paris, its new President, Peter Gluckman, former Chief Science Adviser to the government of New Zealand, announced the ‘Global Commission on Science Missions for Sustainability’ with the sole purpose of pressing the reset button to accelerate the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Commission, co-chaired by Irina Bokova, former Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Director General of UNESCO, and Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and previous administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, is tasked with co-designing and mobilizing support, aiming for a global fund of $US100m per year1 for mission-oriented science as part of a decade of action.  

The Commission, backed up by the recent ISC report titled ‘Unleashing Science,’ makes the compelling case for stepping out of our business-as-usual approaches towards structuring science, funding science, and doing science. While science has done a lot to advance the human condition over the last hundred years, science now needs a quantum shift in how it works together with society and policy on the many issues that need to be addressed with urgency.  

The report calls for an ambitious approach – a concerted effort to produce actionable knowledge through a set number of Sustainability Science Missions in the critical areas of food, energy and climate, health and wellbeing, water, and urban areas. Delivering these missions will require a common pool of science funding and a support system that allows scientists to work on these key issues without distractions and to produce urgent usable knowledge to achieve real policy outcomes. It will also require bold and strategic action from governments, policymakers, science funders, scientists, philanthropy, the private sector, and civil society. 

Speaking at the announcement, ISC President, Peter Gluckman said: The world faces many urgent challenges – while science has already contributed much knowledge, what has been lacking is coordinated focus on actionable science that is needed. The global community has supported big science approaches in basic science, such as at CERN, now is the time to do so for those existential and urgent issues affecting humanity and the planet. The pandemic illustrates that both the natural and social sciences working together and operating globally and inclusively is essential to effective progress.” He added that: “As the global NGO and voice for science, and working with our members and the broader science policy community, we need new processes to identify priorities and design operating and funding mechanisms to accelerate progress. We are honoured that so many internationally respected figures have agreed to assist us in building a needed additional toolkit so that  science can further contribute to urgently needed global solutions.”

Commission Co-Chair, Irina Bokova stressed that: “Science is a critical lever for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. To make the societal transition towards sustainability, we need to unleash the full potential of science.” Commission Co-Chair, Helen Clark added that: “COVID has shown what the science community can do when it comes together and focuses on a mission. We need a mission-led approach to science and to accelerate progress on many aspects of the sustainability agenda. The ISC has understood the need for change, and I am delighted to assist them in the critical endeavour. The global community must work together to support this effort.” She further added that: “The ISC has identified a credible path forward: we can make the necessary changes happen. Let’s just get going.”  

The Commission is made up of more than twenty committed experts, from former ministers and financiers to research leaders and film makers, and aims to build actionable mission-led pathways in the face of existential risks to humanity. 

Key Assets 

  1. Website: https://stories.council.science/unleashing-science/
  1. Report: https://council.science/Commission/Report 
  1. Global Forum of Funders: https://council.science/actionplan/funding-science-global-forum-funders/
  1. List of Commission members: See below 

Footnote

[1] Unleashing Science: Delivering Missions for Sustainability, page 35 https://council.science/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/202108_Unleashing-Science_Final.pdf

Download the press release


Contact 

Alison Meston, Communications Director, International Science Council 

[email protected] / +33 6 73 93 86 65 

For more information about ISC see https://council.science/ and follow ISC: on TwitterLinkedInFacebookInstagram and YouTube.   


Co-chairs:

Helen Clark

Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Administrator of UNDP

Irina Bokova

Former Director-General of UNESCO

Members:

Abdulsalam Al-Murshidi

President of Omani Investment Authority, Oman

Albert Van Jaarsveld

Director-General of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria

Beatrice Weder di Mauro

President of Centre for Economic Policy Research, CEPR, Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute, Switzerland

Bernard Sabrier

Chairman of Unigestion and the CEO of Unigestion Asia Pte Ltd, Switzerland

Guo Huadong

Professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, China

Heide Hackmann

Chief Executive Officer of the International Science Council, ex officio, France

Hiroshi Komiyama

Chairman of the Science and Technology in Society Forum

Ismail Serageldin

Founding Director of the Library of Alexandria, Egypt

Izabella Teixeira

Former Minister of Environment, co-chair of the International Resource Panel, Brazil

James Cameron

Filmmaker, Canada

Jeremy Farrar

Director of Wellcome, UK

Julie Wrigley

Founding Benefactor and co-chair, Global Futures Laboratory, Co-founder and co-chair Global Institute of Sustainability, USA

Johan Rockström

Joint Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany

Macharia Kamau

Principal Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Trade at Government, Kenya

Magdalena Skipper

Editor in Chief, Nature, UK

Maria Leptin

President of the European Research Council, Germany

Martin Rees

Co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, UK

Naledi Pandor

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa

Pamela A. Matson

Director of Stanford University Change Leadership for Sustainability Program, USA

Peter Gluckman

President of the International Science Council, New Zealand

Thomas Hughes-Hallett

Chair of John Innes Centre and Founder Marshall Institute for Philanthropy, London School of Economics, UK

Yuan T. Lee

Former President of ICSU and of the Academy of Sciences located in Taipei, Nobel laureate

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