Cape Town - Former public protector Thuli Madonsela has been appointed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to serve on his newly formed scientific advisory board, which consists of seven eminent scientists to advise on emerging scientific issues.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile broke the news on Friday at the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments in Cape Town.
He said: “I am delighted to announce that Madonsela, our former public protector, has been appointed to the scientific advisory board.
“You have done our country proud, we are confident that you will fly the national flag even higher. Well done.”
Madonsela, who is a lawyer not a scientist and is currently director of the Centre for Social Justice at the Stellenbosch University Law Faculty, said she was surprised when she was first approached about the position.
However, she said she was deeply honoured and humbled to asked to be on the board.
“This appointment underscores the importance of fostering collaboration between the scientific community and decision-makers, addressing the complex moral, social and political challenges presented by rapid scientific and technological advancements of our time,” she said.
“It also shines a spotlight on the work of the Law Trust Chair and Centre for Social Justice at Stellenbosch University with the impact of drawing the attention of the UN.”
Stellenbosch University rector and vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers said the prestigious role was testament to Madonsela’s immense contributions to the fields of law, human rights and governance.
“As an institution, we’re extremely proud of her for this achievement. We look forward to witnessing her invaluable contributions to advancing the greater good on an international platform,” De Villiers said.
Announcing the creation of the board, Guterres said: “Scientific and technological progress can support efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but they are also giving rise to ethical, legal and political concerns that require multilateral solutions.”
He said the advisory board would comprise seven eminent scholars including Madonsela alongside the chief scientists of various UN System entities.
The seven scholars include Professor Yoshua Bengio from Canada, Professor Sandra Díaz from Argentina, Professor Saleemul Huq from Bangladesh and Professor Fei-Fei Li from the US.
The rest are Professor Alan Lightman also from the US and Nobel Laureate Professor Thomas C Südhof, also based in the US.