29 November 2016: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon outlined ten ways in which the scientific community can help advance the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) during a Summit on ‘Science and Technology Enablement for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).’
The Summit was hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), with support from the UN Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate Change, David Nabarro. During the meeting, which took place on 29 November 2016, in New York, US, Ban described the 2030 Agenda as “our manifesto for advancing human progress in harmony with our planet,” and proposed ten ways the scientific community can play a bigger part in its implementation.
Ban said scientists should be an example of problem-solving across lines, at a time when extremist groups and politicians strive to push people into camps of “us” and “them.”
Ban said scientists should: 1) truly embrace the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on climate change; 2) help the international community to learn what works, and what does not, from health to agriculture, and to better understand the links among the SDGs; 3) provide the evidence to guide responses to climate change, including innovations and climate-friendly solutions to help further reduce the costs of renewable energy; 4) contribute to the Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), which is to be issued every four years; 5) support the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism, which aims to improve access to technology in various fields; 6) help address inequalities through research related to neglected tropical diseases or to a green revolution in Africa, for example; 7) seize the potential of the data revolution and participate in the first-ever UN World Data Forum, which will convene in South Africa in January 2017; 8) improve women’s empowerment, considering that women still make up less than 30% of the world’s researchers; 9) bring young people into science; and 10) be an example of problem-solving across lines, “at a time when extremist groups and even many politicians are striving to push people into camps of ‘us’ and ‘them’.”
The Summit considered: how the best available scientific and technologically-driven methods can help strategically advance the delivery of the 2030 Agenda; developing road maps of how to advance SDG achievement, including articulating high-level proofs of concept to demonstrate their value and defining metrics for success; and organizing for collective action both during and beyond the Summit to continue the partnership among participants. It also considered key cross-cutting themes covered by the SDGs including urbanization, people in crisis, early childhood development, and sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in terms of scope and opportunity, research and data, and implementation and partnership.
The New York Academy of Sciences comprises more than 20,000 members in 100 countries, including research scientists, and representatives of business, government, and policy organizations. Its Board of Governors and President’s Council include 30 Nobel laureates and other prominent leaders of academia and industry. The Summit on Science and Technology Enablement for the SDGs was sponsored by PepsiCo, DSM, IBM, SAP, ARM, Johnson & Johnson, United Technologies and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea. [Summit on Science and Technology Website] [UN Secretary-General’s Statement] [New York Academy of Sciences Website]