28 March 2016
TFM Group Advances Preparations for First STI Forum
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During the first in-person meeting of the 10-Member Group to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM), members elected Elmer William (Bill) Colglazier, Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Heide Hackmann, International Council for Science (ICSU), as Co-Chairs of the Group.

The Group also discussed preparations for the first multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the STI Forum.

tcm14 March 2016: During the first in-person meeting of the 10-Member Group to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM), members elected Elmer William (Bill) Colglazier, Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Heide Hackmann, International Council for Science (ICSU), as Co-Chairs of the Group. The Group also discussed preparations for the first multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the STI Forum.

The ten-member group was appointed in January 2016 to work with the Inter-Agency Task Team on STI for SDGs (IATT) to prepare the STI Forum, and develop and operationalize the TFM’s online platform, among other tasks. The first STI Forum is scheduled for 6-7 June 2016, in New York, US.

According to the summary of the Group’s first meeting, which convened from 3-4 March 2016, in New York, US, participants decided that the first Forum should: set the tone for future meetings of the STI Forum; have a limited number of objectives; align its theme with that of the 2016 session of the High-Level Political Forum on sustainable development (HLPF) on ‘Ensuring that no one is left behind’; provide useful, concise and focused input to the HLPF; mobilize the “right audiences”; consider various sources of knowledge, including indigenous knowledge; and use innovative session formats and pursue a mixed seating arrangement that connects stakeholders and UN Member States.

On the structure of the STI forum, the 10-Member Group and the IATT agreed that it should use key guiding questions. Per a draft compilation dated 14 March 2016, the questions address: why STI are essential for achieving the SDGs; opportunities and challenges at policy, organizational and individual levels for STI contributions to achieving the SDGs; key elements for countries and international organizations to consider in formulating action plans and/or roadmaps for STI for the SDGs; and ways to deploy existing knowledge and new, innovative solutions and technologies and reach those who need them. Participants also agreed that the IATT will conduct an open call to stakeholders for STI Forum side events.

On consultations ahead of the Forum, the Group and the IATT decided to conduct online discussions, address issues such as: success criteria for the STI Forum, and focal questions for the Forum. Based on a tentative timeline provided in the meeting’s summary, the online discussions should take place from 28 March-6 May 2016.

Participants discussed the organization of an STI Networking Forum in the lead-up to the STI Forum, that would launch a “call for action to deliver technology-based innovations and solutions for SDGs.” According to the summary, the Networking Forum would facilitate sharing, exchange and pollination of ideas on STI for the SDGs, create networks and communities of practice, and be realized through collaboration with the Global Innovation Exchange (GIE), which has developed an existing networking exchange with 3,000 innovations and US$280 million in committed funding.

On the online platform component of the TFM, the IATT Secretariat requested the 10-Member Group to help identify potential institutions to conduct the independent technical assessment of existing STI initiatives, mechanisms and programmes, on which the platform should be based. A sub-group will further explore options.

In an informal dialogue with UN Member States, as part of the first meeting, delegates encouraged the 10-Member Group to make the STI Forum “innovative,” including in terms of format. States asked for regular and timely flows of information from the Group, to be able to mobilize the right participants from governments and identify other national participants for the STI Forum.

The IATT, the 10-Member Group, the online platform and the STI Forum are components of the TFM that was called for in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The IATT is comprised of several UN agencies, and co-chaired by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). [Meeting Summary] [Draft Guiding Questions] [Meeting Webpage] [TFM Website] [IISD RS Story on TFM Briefing] [IISD RS Story on 10-Member Group Appointment] [Updated 5 April: Call for Innovations by 30 April]


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