UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited a leading Saudi woman researcher and Shoura Council member to serve on the world body's Scientific Consultation Council.

Hayat Sindi confirmed she received the invitation and welcomed the opportunity to serve on a board with other leading scientists. “It indicates the international position Saudi women have in the field of science inventions and discoveries. It proves that Saudi women are able to interact with international entities and preserve their Islamic traditions and values."

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) had conducted a yearlong study on future members of the council and nominated Sindi. Ban made the final selection.

Former Finnish President Tarja Kaarina Halonen and South African president Jacob Zuma head the council. Its mandate is to promote cooperation on science-related issues between UN agencies and the international scientific community.

The council’s 25 members have three Nobel Prize winners among them. Other members include Susan K. Avery, the first woman president of Colorado University’s Woods Hall Institute for Ocean Science; Tania Abrahamse, executive president of the South Africa International Institute for Biological Diversity; and Jörg Hacker, head of the National Academy of Sciences in Germany.