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gendered. Especially when looking at the age pattern of infection, rates of confirmed cases among younger women were higher than for men in several European countries. Interestingly, in countries where greater gender imbalances exist and women tend to take on more duties around the home, this trend was reversed and confirmed cases were much higher among men. Muttarak points out that this reiterates the impact that gender roles can have, as well as the importance of safety measures to reduce exposure to infection for both men and women. PATHWAYS TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE POST-COVID WORLD To address emerging issues and provide science based insights to policymakers, IIASA and the International Science Council (ISC) brought together experts from all over the world through a consultative science platform that draws on the combined strengths and extensive scientific communities of the two organizations. Consultations were structured around four broad themes: Governance for Sustainability, Strengthening Science Systems, Resilient Food Systems, and Sustainable Energy. ENHANCING RISK GOVERNANCE IN AN INCREASINGLY RISKY WORLD COVID-19 has shown just how intertwined human and natural systems are and how a local threat can exponentially explode into a global crisis – a situation that is reinforced by unequal and unsustainable developments under current socioeconomic trends. In addition, the crisis has revealed that systemic risk is currently not well governed, if at all. The IIASA-ISC consultations around Governance for Sustainability highlighted that to realize sustainable development, it is imperative to reduce risk, build resilience, and secure long-term development gains. Participants emphasized that current governance arrangements are inadequate to protect global and local commons, stimulate the transformation of the human systems we need, and address the complex and systemic risks facing a world that will see more and more shocks and stressors – both sequentially and in parallel. “Global institutions built in the 20th century to prevent armed conflicts and manage the flow of goods and services are not adequate to address 21st century multi- scale socioecological challenges and rising inequalities,” says Anne-Sophie Stevance from the ISC, who co-leads the Governance for Sustainability theme. According to IIASA researcher and theme co-lead Teresa M. Deubelli, as a next step, it appears key to use the lessons from COVID-19 to inform governance reforms with a view to boosting agility and adaptivity, including through enhanced science-policy interfaces, upscaled innovation and foresight, along with updated crisis provisions and more participatory decision-making. IIASA researcher and theme co-lead Reinhard Mechler adds that COVID-19 illustrates the need for governments to take a more risk-informed, forward- looking approach to counteract risk creation associated with degradation in global (climate) as well as local commons, such as the destruction of ecosystems that enhance the spread of zoonotic diseases. STRONGER SCIENCE SYSTEMS Perceptions around how science has responded to the COVID-crisis may vary, but there is broad consensus that there is room for improvement in science systems to better serve the public interest, especially in times of crises. As part of the series of IIASA-ISC discussions around Strengthening Science © Adam Islaam | IIASA 12 Options Winter 2020 www.iiasa.ac.at