Lidia Brito is set to be the new head of science policy at UNESCO, according to SciDevNet. Brito, Mozambique’s former science minister, will take up the post in December, it says.

“She is well known as a knowledgeable and passionate advocate for science-based development in poor countries,” Mohamed Hassan, executive director of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, told the website. “We can think of no better person to build on UNESCO’s recent efforts to develop capacity in science policy in the developing world and especially in Africa.”

Brito follows Irina Bokova who was elected director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in September.

Both Bokova and Brito have a lot of work to do. As Nature noted in a 24 September editorial, little has changed since a damming 2007 report on the agency’s science portfolio which labelled it “fragmented, over-ambitious, unfocused” and lacking a clear vision.

As the editorial said:

The history and culture of UNESCO do not bode well for serious change. But business as usual is not an option if UNESCO is to have a scientific raison d’être.