Member governments can also benefit from establishing procedures for science advice.

In order to have available a pool of scientific and technical experts to participate in scientific advisory studies, it will be necessary to strengthen science and technology capability in many member states, especially developing countries. Experts from those countries will be more effective in the scientific advisory process and more influential in UN forums if they are experienced in the principle and practice of science advice. A program of support to develop science advice capability in the less developed member states will benefit the UN by ensuring wider geographical distribution among experts as it helps the governments to gain science advice for public policy making. The UN should also assist national science academies or other designated organizations within the countries, including non-state actors, to carry out advisory functions guided by the elements set out in Chapter 2. Suitable programs should include providing training and internships for staff, funding joint studies with other advisory groups or science academies in other countries, and recruiting experts associated with these organizations for UN science advisory committees.

Recommendation 3. The United Nations should help member states to strengthen their own scientific advisory capabilities, and it should recruit scientists associated with these national capabilities for UN scientific advisory functions. The United Nations will be better able to use scientific advice when all nations have the capability to participate fully in its scientific advisory processes.

Established Independent Science Organizations Offer an Excellent Means of Obtaining Advice.

The United Nations has a history of working with outside bodies to obtain information and advice on many issues chief executives and deliberative assembly bodies must address, including questions of environmental and social policy. Recognizing that implementation of Recommendations 1 and 2 may take some time to implement fully, chief executives and assemblies should, in the meantime, make arrangements with outside bodies to provide science advice. The International Council for Science (ICSU) and the InterAcademy Council, among others, are organizations that could undertake studies in response to specific questions posed by chief executives or assemblies. However, to ensure that the advice has the greatest degree of scientific credibility, the outside bodies should be required to operate on the basis of the elements discussed in Chapter 2 of this report.

Recommendation 4. To complement their internal scientific advisory processes, chief executives and deliberative assemblies, separately or in cooperation, should commission science policy advice from established independent organizations that follow procedures similar to those described here.

Scientific Assessment Mechanisms That Have Scientific Credibility and Transparency Are Especially Important to the Future Effectiveness of the UN System.