1981–1989

Secretary-General of the Society for the Advancement of Breeding Research in Asia and Oceania, 1994–1998: Chair of a task force to prepare the National Policy on Biological Diversity, 1994-2000: Founding President of the Genetics Society of Malaysia, and 1996-2000: Founding Chair of the National Genetic Modification Advisory Committee.

1990-1992

Senior Malaysian delegate during negotiation of the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), later heading his country’s delegation to treaty’s Conference of the Parties (1993–2000). He also led Malaysia’s delegation in the early days of intergovernmental negotiations (1995–2000) of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

2000

Appointed Director of the United Nations University’s Yokohama Japan-based Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), one of the UN’s largest research and training centers. During an eight-year tenure, he transformed UNU-IAS into an internationally respected institution active in a wide range of areas such as genetic bioprospecting, bio-diplomacy, governance, urban management, science policy for sustainable development, the protection of traditional knowledge and education for sustainable development.

2000

Elected Co-Chair of the Board of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), one of the world’s largest-ever scientific collaborations. Over five years, the MA involved the combined efforts of more than 2,000 experts from 95 countries in an integrated scientific assessment of the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and of actions needed to address these threats. Represented on the multi-stakeholder Board: U.N. bodies, governments, NGOs, academia, business, and indigenous peoples. Then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his "Millennium Report" hailed the MA as “an outstanding example of the sort of international scientific and political cooperation that is needed to further the cause of sustainable development.”

2009

Named the Tuanku Chancellor Chair at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). That same year he founded USM’s Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, a post-graduate think-tank on the challenges of climate change, environmental degradation, urban sprawl and other dimensions of global change.

2010

Appointed Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia

2011

Appointed Joint Co-Chair of the Secretariat of Malaysia's Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council (GSIAC), a unique assembly of an all-star international and national experts and leaders created to support sustainable development for Malaysia, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

2011

Named Joint Chair for the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT). MIGHT is a not-for-profit company under the purview of the Prime Minister of Malaysia building partnerships between industry, government, and academia in support of the nation's drive to advance high technology competency.

2012

Co-chaired the High-Level International Advisory Committee of the World Conference on Justice, Governance and Law on Environmental Sustainability, held in conjunction with the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio+20). Also appointed to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s High-level Panel on Global Assessment of Resources for implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020

27 January 2013

A the first plenary meeting of 105 Member States, elected founding Chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a new intergovernmental body dedicated to curbing an accelerating worldwide loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystem services. Often likened to an IPCC-like body for biodiversity, the IPBES will bridge the gap between scientists and policy makers, providing up to date, accurate, impartial data and scientific information to enable the formulation of better policy response in managing biodiversity.

October 2013

One of 26 scientists named to the UN Secretary-General Scientific Advisory Board, which convened for its inaugural meeting in Berlin on January 30, 2014.