The UN Secretary-General has issued a report that explores the role of technology foresight and technology assessment in guiding sustainable development policies. The two complementary practices help countries “strengthen anticipatory governance capacities and proactively adjust technological trajectories,” according to the report.
Titled, ‘Technology Foresight and Technology Assessment for Sustainable Development,’ the report (E/CN.16/2025/3) outlines how technology foresight and technology assessment “foster resilience by enhancing adaptability to unforeseen technological changes, creating shared goals that unite diverse stakeholders and challenging existing policy narratives by helping to reveal blind spots, debunk biases and identify missed opportunities and risks.” The two practices, it argues, can “expand the range of policy options rather than promoting a single course of action.”
According to the report, technology assessment “involves the systematic evaluation of the consequences of technological development and adoption.” It focuses on immediate social, economic, and environmental impacts and is aimed at enhancing capacity for informed decision making in using scientific and technological advances for sustainable development. The report defines technology foresight as “a forward-looking methodology for systematically exploring emerging technologies, potential applications and long-term societal impacts.”
Dated 23 January 2025, the report was released in advance of the 28th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) – a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), scheduled to convene from 7-11 April. It will inform the discussions on ‘Technology Foresight and Technology Assessment for Sustainable Development’ – one of the Commission’s two priority themes for 2025. The other priority theme is ‘Diversifying Economies in a World of Accelerated Digitalization.’
While it is critical to build local capacities and institutional frameworks to implement technology foresight and technology assessment in developing countries, “it is neither easy nor inexpensive,” the report underscores. Drawing on international case studies, panel discussions, and national experiences, the report provides recommendations on:
- institutionalizing technology foresight and technology assessment;
- ensuring the independence and inclusivity of such activities; and
- strengthening global support and knowledge-sharing networks.
The ultimate goal is to embed these practices more firmly into sustainable development policies.
The report calls on national governments to, inter alia: initiate or strengthen dedicated institutions for technology assessment and technology foresight; identify champions to advocate for technology assessment and technology foresight exercises; maintain independence to prevent bias in assessments; and adapt technology assessment and technology foresight to national and subnational contexts.
The report recommends the international community, among other actions: focus on identifying and mobilizing resources for technology assessment and technology foresight exercises; develop methodological standards for technology assessment and technology foresight at the international level; and build national capabilities to conduct technology assessment and technology foresight projects independently.
It invites the CSTD to facilitate resource mobilization for developing countries, align methodological standards for technology assessment and technology foresight, and encourage regional collaboration through joint studies, workshops, and reports. [Publication: Technology Foresight and Technology Assessment for Sustainable Development: Report of the Secretary-General]
