Summary
The third annual Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) convened Tuesday, 5 June 2018 at UN Headquarters in New York.
Opening the meeting, Marie Chatardová, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), noted that technology is changing the trajectory of development. She said the question is how can technologies help connect with and address the vulnerabilities of those most left behind. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet for UN Secretary-General, said new technologies, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and robotics, will generate new solutions to SDG implementation. Liu Zhenmin, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, noted that UN entities are working together to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM).
Following keynote presentations by Andrew Keen, author of The Internet is Not the Answer and How to Fix the Future, Noriko Arai, Professor, Japan National Institute of Informatics, and, via video message, Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, California, the STI Forum embarked on a series of panel discussions, focusing on those SDGs under review by the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, addressing:
- Impact of rapid technological change on the achievement of the SDGs;
- STI for sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (SDG 6);
- STI for sustainable consumption and production patterns (SDG 12); and
- STI for sustainable terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15).
An Interactive Dialogue with the 10 Member Group to support the TFM also took place.
During the lunch break, an exhibition of innovative technology solutions for SDGs was launched. The exhibition features technological innovations submitted by scientists, entrepreneurs and sustainability change agents worldwide to provide workable solutions for sustainable development.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital updates and a briefing note from the STI Forum 2018 on Saturday, 9 June 2018. The briefing note is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Pam Chasek
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Opening Session
Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Chef de Cabinet for the UN Secretary-General
Marie Chatardová, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Andrew Keen, author of The Internet is Not the Answer and How to Fix the Future
Noriko Arai, Professor, Japan National Institute of Informatics
Session 1: Impact of rapid technological change on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
Panelists Gӧran Marby, President and CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, and Thomas Philbeck, Head of Science and Technology Studies, World Economic Forum
Panelist Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, United Arab Emirates
Thomas Philbeck, Head of Science and Technology Studies, World Economic Forum; Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, United Arab Emirates; Co-Chair Juan Sandoval-Mendiolea, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; and Moderator Miguel Ruíz Cabañas, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico
Session 2: Interactive Dialogue with the 10 Member Group to support the Technology Facilitation Mechanism
Moderator George Essegby, Director, Science and Technology Policy Research Institute, Ghana
Agnes Lawrence Kijazi (United Republic of Tanzania), Director General, Tanzania Meteorological Agency, Co-Chair, 10 Member Group
Vaughan Turekian (USA), Senior Director at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Co-Chair 10 Member Group
Session 3: STI for Sustainable Management of Water and Sanitation for All (SDG 6)
Ernesto Rodriguez Leal, Director of Innovation, Rotoplas, Mexico; Charlotte Watts, Chief Scientific Advisor, UK; Katalin Annamária Bogyay, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations
Session 4: STI for Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (SDG 12)
Erika Kraemer-Mbula, Associate Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa; Arun Sundararajan, Professor and Faculty Fellow, Stern School of Business, New York University; Shenggen Fan, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute; Co-Chair Toshiya Hoshino, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Moderator Anne-Christine Ritschkoff, Senior Advisor VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd; and Marco van der Ree, Director of Business Development, Climate-KIC, European Institute of Innovation and Technology
Session 5: STI for Sustainable Terrestrial Ecosystems (SDG 15)
Didier Babin, Chair of the International Coordinating Council (ICC) of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme; Skumsa Kathleen Audrey Mancotywa, Chief Director, Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa; Inger Elisabeth Måren, University of Bergen, Norway; Co-Chair Toshiya Hoshino; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Moderator Huadong Guo, Chairman of Academic Committee, Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Suresh Nair, Group Leader, Plant-Insect Interaction Group, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India
Opening of the Exhibition of Innovative Technology Solutions for SDGs
Miroslav Lajčák, President of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly, opened the exhibition
The launch of the exhibition of innovative technology solutions for SDGs
UN Green Fair to Commemorate World Environment Day
