Prof. Murenzi named on UN technology team

The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has appointed Rwandan Professor Romain Murenzi on the team of ten people to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM).  The team consists of representatives of civil society, the private sector, and the science community.

The appointed experts include both social and natural scientists that have internationally recognised expertise covering all stages of the technology and innovation life cycle, from science to research and development to technology deployment.

The others are Peter Bakker (Netherlands), Prof. Elmer William Jr Colglazier (U.S.A), Dr. Myrna Cunningham (Nicaragua), Ms. Elenita Daño (Philippines), Dr Hayat Sindi (Saudi Arabia), Dr Paulo Ernani Gadelha Vieira (Brazil), Dr Heide Hackmann (South Africa), Prof. Nebojsa Nakicenovic (Montenegro), and Prof. Xiaolan Fu (United Kingdom).

Members of the team will serve at the secretary general’s discretion for a period of two years.

The team will work with the UN Inter-agency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, known as “IATT” ,-providing ideas, guidance and recommendations.

In particular, it is engaged in supporting the development and operations of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism, notably to prepare the meetings of the multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, support the development and operationalisation of the online platform, provide recommendations and advice on science, technology and innovation issues for the SDGs, provide briefings and other inputs to the high-level political forum on sustainable development, or other relevant UN fora, among other duties.

Technology Facilitation Mechanism was launched at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in September last year.

The Mechanism is meant to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prof. Murenzi, a physicist, served as the chairperson of physics department at Clark Atlanta University before he was appointed minister for education, science, technology and scientific research in Rwanda, a post he held from 2001 to 2006.

He later became the director of the centre for science, technology, and sustainable development at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and visiting professor at the University of Maryland’s Institute of Advanced Computer Studies.

In November 2014, Murenzi was appointed by the UN Secretary General to chair a high-level panel of technology bank and science, technology and innovation supporting mechanism for the least developed countries.

He is currently the executive director of The World Academy of Science (TWAS), the academy of sciences for the advancement of sciences in developing world, based in Italy.

The New Times

UM– USEKE.RW