1 February 2018
Governments Flag Priorities for STI Forum
Photo by IISD/ENB
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The third annual STI Forum will convene from 5-6 June 2018.

ECOSOC President Marie Chatardova called for a "strong" outcome from the 2018 Forum, while Brazil stressed the need for gender balanced panels.

29 January 2018: Ahead of the third annual Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum), UN and government officials highlighted their priorities for the event. The Forum will convene from 5-6 June 2018, co-chaired by Juan Sandoval Mendiolea, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico, and Toshiya Hoshino, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan.

The STI Forum is part of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) mandated by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development (FfD). During the briefing on the 2018 Forum, which was convened by UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Miroslav Lajcak on 29 January 2018, in New York, US, Marie Chatardova, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) said the outcome of the 2018 Forum must be “strong.” Brazil said the Forum should emphasize the gender dimension, including through balanced panels. Sandoval Mendiolea encouraged Member States to facilitate multi-stakeholder participation from their countries in the Forum. Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya and co-chair of the first and second meetings of the STI Forum, in 2016 and 2017, said the gatherings had provided important opportunities for innovation “match-making.”

On STI-related priorities for government action, Kamau noted the importance of leapfrogging over detrimental technologies, as well as scaling up investments in technology. Nigeria called to address “brain drain.” Zambia highlighted the need to address the issue of morality and technology. Brazil said developing countries want to be not only consumers but also producers of technological innovation.

Vaughan Turekian, co-chair of the 2016 and 2017 meetings of the STI Forum and former Science and Technology Adviser to the US Secretary of State, called on international organizations to develop a “coherent STI blueprint roadmap.” He also called for “defreezing” knowledge that has helped to tackle key challenges to allow it to be scaled up.

Liu Zhenmin, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), noted that DESA will launch the online platform component of the TFM in 2018, while the other components “remain unfunded.” Kamau said DESA is the “entity of choice” for advancing multilateral processes.

The co-chairs’ summary of discussion at the Forum will serve as an input to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). [Letter on Co-Chairs’ Appointment] [STI Forum 2018 Webpage] [IISD Sources] [UNGA President’s Remarks] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Co-Chairs’ Appointment]


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