May 2016: The first annual Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) will address five questions, which were also the subject of online discussions in April and May 2016. The STI Forum is a component of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) outlined in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Launching the TFM in September 2015 (A/RES/70/1), the UN General Assembly (UNGA) called on the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to convene the STI Forum once a year to discuss cooperating on STI around thematic areas for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In April 2016, ECOSOC President Oh Joon appointed Macharia Kamau, Permanent Representative of Kenya, and Vaughan Turekian, Science and Technology Adviser to the US Secretary of State as co-chairs for the STI forum.

The first STI Forum, convening from 6-7 June 2016, in New York, US, will address the topic “realizing the potential of science, technology and innovation for all to achieve the sustainable development goals.” Discussions are to be guided by the following questions: 1) Why are science, technology and innovation essential for the achievement of the SDGs? 2) What are the main opportunities and challenges – at policy, organizational and individual levels – for maximizing the contribution of science, technology and innovation to the achievement of the SDGs? 3) What are the key elements that countries and international organizations may need to take into account in formulating action plans and/or roadmaps for science, technology and innovation for the SDGs? 4) How can we deploy existing knowledge and new, innovative solutions and technologies and make them more readily available to those who need them? 5) What would be success criteria for the STI Forum in the coming years? What questions should the STI Forum focus on?

These questions were the subject of an online discussion held 4 April-11 May. Responses posted by 11 May will be included in a summary, as a contribution to Forum discussions.

Also in preparation for the first STI Forum, the UN collaborated with the Global Innovation Exchange to launch a call to action for “innovators, scientists, entrepreneurs and sustainability change agents” to submit their innovations as “workable solutions for sustainable development.” The UN aimed to support these solutions by creating networks and communities among people who are developing technological innovations, those who can support or scale up such innovations, and those who need such innovations in order to implement the SDGs. The Secretariat reported that the response was “outstanding, in terms of number and quality of innovations, from many different regions,” and over 270 applications were considered by a review committee, and narrowed to 12 selected innovations. The innovators are invited to present their innovations during the STI Forum.

The Forum meeting will result in a summary of discussions from the two co-Chairs, as an input to the High-level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF). [STI Forum Website] [Programme] [Appointment of Co-Chairs] [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [TFM] [Side Events] [Call for Innovations] [Online Discussion]