If extraterrestrial visitors come to Earth and ask to speak to a leader they would be directed to Mazlan Othman, who is set to be the official United Nations Ambassador in charge of greeting the aliens when they make contact with humanity, according to
CNET News.
The UN scientific advisory committee will deliberate as to whether or not Unoosa should be in charge of dealing with an alien encounter. It should also reach the UN General Assembly. If the two entities give the go ahead, Earth will have an official leader to handle alien contact.
Next week, the 58-year-old Malaysian astrophysicist will lay out a proposal at the Royal Society’s Kavli conference centre in Buckinhamshire to address a possible alien contact scenario and the political processes that would ensue after such contact.
“The continued search for extraterrestrial communication...sustains the hope that someday humankind will receive signals from extraterrestrials,” said Othman, reports the
London Telegraph. “When we do, we should have in place a coordinated response that takes into account all the sensitivities related to the subject. The U.N. is a ready-made mechanism for such coordination.”
Expert on outer space law and governance at the United Kingdom Space Agency, Professor Richard Crowther, noted that Othman will be the closest thing Earth has to a “take me to your leader person.”
But is Othman actually going to be the official alient contact Ambassador? According to the
Guardian, Othman is denying reports that she will be a representative of Earth. In an e-mail to the UK publication, Othman said: "It sounds really cool but I have to deny it." She will be attending, though, the conference next week to discuss near-Earth objects.
