VENUE LOCATION:
Cure by Deerfield345 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10010, USA
We will check your registration at the entrance. Please bring your ID.The role and contribution of science to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be the central theme of the Science Summit at the United Nations General Assembly, which will take place in New York and online from 12-29 September 2023. This will be the ninth edition of the Science Summit.
The objective is to develop and launch science collaborations to demonstrate global science mechanisms and activities to support the attainment of the UN SDGs, Agenda 2030 and Local2030. The meeting will also prepare input for the United Nations
Summit of the Future, which will take place during UNGA79 in September 2024.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the set of 17 interconnected goals set out by the United Nations in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. Science has a pivotal role to play in achieving these goals and enabling the post-SDG agenda, including:
Science provides policymakers with the data, evidence, and insights to make informed decisions. Without rigorous scientific understanding, interventions might not be practical or could even be counterproductive. Many of the challenges posed by the SDGs, such as ensuring clean water for all or achieving sustainable energy, require technological solutions. Science drives the innovation and development of these technologies.
The SDGs are interconnected, meaning that progress in one area can impact others. Science, especially when approached from an interdisciplinary perspective, can help us understand these connections and ensure holistic solutions. Many global challenges are complex and multi-faceted. Science can help unpack these complexities by modelling outcomes, studying systems, and providing clear pathways to solutions.
Science helps in setting realistic and achievable targets. Once interventions are in place, scientific methods can monitor and evaluate progress, ensuring that efforts are on track and adjusting strategies as necessary. For many countries, especially developing countries, achieving the SDGs requires building capacities in various sectors. Science and education are central to this, ensuring that countries have the skills and knowledge base to drive their development.
Opening Session
09h00
Declan Kirrane, Chair, Science Summit UNGA78
Triona McCormack, Co-Chair, Science Summit UNGA78
Pilar Gomez, Co-Chair, Science Summit UNGA78
09h10
Seema Kumar, CEO, Cure, USA
09h15
Magdalena Skipper, Editor-In-Chief, Nature
09h20
Iqbal Choudhary, Coordinator General, Standing Committee on Scientific & Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH), Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
09h25
Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, CEO, National Science Foundation, South Africa
09h35
Irene Norstedt Director, People Directorate, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission, Belgium (Keynote)
09h50
Pamela Ruiz, Chief Business Development Officer, Inteleos, USA
09h55
Denis Naughton, Chairperson Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Working Group on Science &
Technology, Ireland
10h00
Lidia Borrel Damian, Secretary General, Science Europe, Belgium
10h05
Marc Carrel-Billiard Accenture, USA
10h10
Brian O’Connor, Chairman, ECHAlliance, UK
10h15
Batjargal Zamba, Chief Science Advisor, IRIMHE MET/NAMEM, Mongolia
10h20
Intisar Soghayroun, Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), Sudan
10h25
Michael Makanga, Executive Director European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), South Africa
10h30
Anna Stewart-Ibarra, Executive Director, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), Uruguay
10h35
Litha Magingxa, CEO, Agricultural Research Council, South Africa.
10h40
Nishka Sharma, Youth Mentorship Program
10h45
Suzanne L Dickson, European Brian Council
10h50
Tomas John, Landcent
10h00
Break
11h00 - Panel Discussion:
Seema Kumar, CEO, Cure, USA (Moderator)
Bernardo Mariano Junior, Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO), United Nations
Magdalena Skipper, Editor-In-Chief, Nature
Alejandro Adem, Chair, Governing Board of the Global Research Council (GRC), Canada
1200 End
SDG 13 explicitly targets climate action. Science is fundamental to understanding climate change, its impacts, and the solutions required to mitigate and adapt to it. The SDGs emphasise the importance of life on land and below water. Science informs us about biodiversity loss, its implications, and ways to restore and conserve ecosystems.
Scientific research is crucial for understanding diseases, developing treatments, and ensuring healthy lives (as outlined in SDG 3). Science helps understand and predict natural disasters, which is crucial for building resilient infrastructure and communities. Scientific research and innovation can stimulate economic growth by paving the way for new industries, enhancing productivity, and creating jobs.
Science and technology can play a role in reducing inequalities. For instance, providing internet access or renewable energy solutions can empower marginalised communities.
Science is not just one of many tools in the quest to achieve the SDGs; it is foundational. It provides the knowledge, techniques, and innovations necessary to address the world's most pressing challenges. For the SDGs to be realised by 2030, a robust scientific approach must underpin global and local efforts. The Summit will examine what enabling policy, regulatory and financial environments are needed to implement and sustain the science mechanisms required to support genuinely global scientific collaborations across continents, nations and themes. Scientific discovery through the analysis of massive data sets is at hand. This data-enabled approach to science, research and development will be necessary if the SDGs are to be achieved.
The Science Summit will have two broad themes:
- Inclusion: The term "inclusion" encompasses a broad spectrum of meanings. Within the context of the Science Summit, it signifies "data inclusion." For globally impactful data-driven science, ensuring open access to and utilisation of scientific data is paramount. While the European Union and other nations are ushering in data protection and AI regulations that promise significant advantages, the true potential of these benefits can only be harnessed if the of a will be a regulatory design process is inclusive. Regulations should be crafted with input from all affected nations, the principle being "no regulation without representation."
- Development Finance: For the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and development banks (over 450 Development Banks account for more than 10% of world investment) to invest more significantly in science, they must recognise the direct and indirect linkages between scientific advancement and socio-economic development. Traditionally, these institutions have emphasised infrastructure, health, education, and economic stability. By recognising science as a crucial development pillar, these institutions can allocate more resources towards it. By aligning thei
