The United Nations is setting up an international scientific advisory board to guide the secretary-general on science matters, reports SciDevNet. The plan for this council was announced at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20 — the UN Environmental, Scientific and Cultural Organization will be taking the lead in setting the board up. "The board will bring together eminent specialists from the natural sciences, the social and human sciences, and engineering, and representing diverse backgrounds and regions," SciDevNet adds.