The UN has published a summary of the 2025 Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum) as a contribution to the July session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). Speakers underscored the critical role of STI in achieving the SDGs and implementing the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact.

According to the summary (E/HLPF/2025/6), a high-level opening highlighted the Forum’s evolution into a core UN platform for bridging science and policy, with speakers calling for efforts to translate global commitments into implementation on the ground. The report notes a strong emphasis on national ownership and calls for governments to invest in digital infrastructure, affordable Internet access, and the digital literacy of the public sector, supported by international cooperation.

Participants stressed the importance of inclusive innovation, emphasizing the need for greater access to frontier technologies, more support for youth and women innovators, and stronger South-South collaboration. Fundamental science, responsible artificial intelligence (AI) governance, open science, and digital public goods emerged as critical areas for investment and coordinated action, the report notes.

A ministerial session on harnessing science and technology for the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions identified key areas of priority actions, including:

• Governments and stakeholders increasing public and private investment in STI as a foundational strategy to accelerate progress towards the SDGs;
• Advancing efforts to close the persistent digital and technological divides that prevent equitable access to STI benefits in line with the Pact for the Future;
• Establishing ethical, transparent, and accountable governance frameworks for emerging technologies, particularly AI;
• Transforming education systems to support the development of STI competencies, particularly through strengthened science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education;
• Enhancing international collaboration to scale up STI solutions and ensure innovation benefits all; and
• Fully integrating STI into national development strategies and SDG implementation frameworks.

Thematic discussions offered opportunities to explore: making AI accessible, inclusive, and beneficial for all; advancing STI for gender equality; leveraging science to conserve, restore, and sustainably use the ocean and coastal ecosystems; and scaling up STI financing and capacity building and strengthening research infrastructures for sustainable development.

Among the key recommendations presented in the report is the need to urgently align STI efforts with the goals of the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact.

The 2025 STI Forum took place in New York, US, from 7-8 May. Closely aligned with the theme of HLPF 2025, the Forum’s theme was ‘Advancing sustainable, inclusive, and evidence-based, science and technology solutions and innovations for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind.’  [Publication: Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals: Note by the Secretariat]