Welcome to the United Nations
The session is organised in support of the function of the high-level political forum on sustainable development to strengthen the science-policy interface.
The accelerating accumulation, use and diffusion of scientific knowledge and its application in technological innovations is reshaping our world. It has solved many of humanity’s problems and led to unprecedented levels of prosperity. Yet, our current model of science, technology and innovation engagement has also created many challenges and has left many behind. The roundtable aims to take stock and to facilitate the ongoing conversation on these issues.
To this end, the session will bring together eminent natural and social scientists, government officials, and civil society representatives. It will identify and take stock of new ideas, scientific insights and technological solutions, including those contained in recent UN scientific assessments and studies by expert groups, for consideration by the forum. It will identify key research gaps in sustainability science that policy makers would like to see filled, in view of the challenges faced by developing and developed countries. The roundtable will discuss ideas and specific actions on how scientific and technological communities could be more effectively mobilised by the high-level political forum in support of achievement of the SDGs.
The session will explore future opportunities for strengthening the science-policy interface in a variety of contexts, including through the future editions of the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR). As background, the 2016 pilot GSDR will be presented together with an overview of lessons learned from the GSDR process that can be instructive moving forward.
Possible questions for discussion:
- What are important new ideas, scientific insights and technological solutions that have been proposed by scientists for policy consideration, including those contained in UN scientific assessments and suggested by expert groups? What are key research gaps in sustainability science that need to be filled?
- How could the high-level political forum more effectively mobilise scientific and technological communities in support of the achievement of the SDGs? What specific actions should be taken, for example, for developing societal STI action plans and roadmaps, science advisory ecosystems at various levels?
- What role will the Global Sustainable Development Report process play in further strengthening the science-policy interface on the global policy stage?
Chair:
- H.E. Mr. Hector Alejandro Palma Cerna, Deputy-Permanent Representative of Honduras to the UN and Vice President of ECOSOC
Presenter of the pilot GSDR 2016:
- Mr. Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Moderator:
- Ms. Lucilla Spini, Head of Science Programmes of the International Council for Science (ICSU)
Roundtable members:
- Mr. Gueladio Cisse, Head of the Ecosystem Health Sciences Unit at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
- Mr. E. William Colglazier, Senior Scholar at the Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Mr. Aurélien Decamps, Assistant Professor at Kedge Business School, Sustainability Literacy Test and the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI)
- Mr. Donovan Guttieres, Focal Point for the Youth Science-Policy Interface Platform of UN Major Group for Children and Youth and Policy Focal Point for the Youth Gateway, the Global Youth Partnership for the SDG
- Mr. Peter Messerli, Director and Professor for Sustainable Development, Centre for Development and Environment, Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Mr. Patrick Paul Walsh, Professor and Chair of International Development Studies of the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin
