She is one of just SEVEN external members from across the globe to be appointed to the United Nations Secretary General’s Scientific Advisory Board!
The Scientific Advisory Board advises the Secretary-General and UN leaders on breakthroughs in science and technology and helps mitigate potential risks, including ethical and social issues.
Commenting on the appointment de Vos said, “As the first Sri Lankan to EVER sit on this board, I marvel at how the Secretary General’s team scoured the planet and found me. But know that my untiring efforts and years working in, on, and around the ocean, my excitement to share it with everyone everywhere, my deep understanding of the issues that it faces and my parallel and no less important work in the space of ocean justice and equity is why I find myself where I am today. It’s incredible to think back to my earliest foray into the field, how determined I was to establish it and popularize it in a country that didn’t believe it was necessary or possible, to having found myself on a global stage where I was able to push for what was necessary and to today being considered a thought leader.”