Summary
The third annual Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) concluded its two-day meeting on Wednesday, 6 June 2018, at UN Headquarters in New York.
In the morning, the STI Forum held a series of panel discussions, addressing:
- National STI roadmaps for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and capacity building;
- Realizing the full potential of local and indigenous knowledge, and home-grown innovations for the achievement of the SDGs; and
- Supporting the implementation of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) – the way forward for joint action.
In the afternoon, the focus was on the remaining SDGs that are under consideration by the 2018 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
- STI for access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all (SDG 7); and
- STI for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements (SDG 11).
After an exchange of views on the next steps for the STI Forum, the Co-Chairs offered concluding remarks. Co-Chair Toshiya Hoshino, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN, said that STI is a force to make use of limited resources to achieve the SDGs. He added that this is not an issue that only governments should discuss and thus the STI Forum allows multi-stakeholder insights and input to be taken into account. Co-Chair Juan Sandoval-Mendiolea, Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN, said that the STI Forum is for our people, thus our success can be measured by the development that reaches our people and communities. He added that we need an inventory of good practices and public policies for each of the SDGs.
In conclusion, Marie Chatardová, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), said she was pleased to see the TFM and the STI Forum evolving and strengthening over time. She further noted that she looks forward to further results from the work ahead. Chatardová declared the 2018 STI Forum closed at 6:00 pm.
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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Session 6: National STI Roadmaps for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Capacity Building
L-R: Aisha Jones, Director of Research, National Commission on Science and Technology, Jamaica; Teruo Kishi, Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan; Patricia Appiagyei, Deputy Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ghana; Co-Chair Toshiya Hoshino; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Moderator William Colglazier, Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science; and Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, the World Bank Group
Teruo Kishi, Science and Technology Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan
Aisha Jones, Director of Research, National Commission on Science and Technology, Jamaica
Patricia Appiagyei, Deputy Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ghana
Mahmoud Mohieldin, Senior Vice President for the 2030 Development Agenda, the World Bank Group
A slide from Mahmoud Mohieldin’s presentation
Session 7: Realizing the Full Potential of Local and Indigenous Knowledge, and Home-grown Innovations for the Achievement of the SDGs
L-R: Jozelin Soto, Milpa Maguey Tierno de la Mujer Sss, Mexico; Mulubrhan Gebremikael, UNEP-IEMP (International Ecosystem Management Program); Joel Heath, Executive Director, The Arctic Eider Society, Sanikiluaq, Canada; Minnie Degawan, Director, Indigenous and traditional peoples programme, Conservation International, Washington, DC; Co-Chair Toshiya Hoshino; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Co-Moderator Myrna Cunningham, President, Center for Autonomy and Development of Indigenous Peoples; Co-Moderator Paulo Gadelha, Coordinator of the FIOCRUZ Strategy for the 2030 Agenda, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ)
Jozelin Soto, Milpa Maguey Tierno de la Mujer Sss, Mexico
Mulubrhan Gebremikael, UNEP-IEMP (International Ecosystem Management Program)
Joel Heath, Executive Director, The Arctic Eider Society, Sanikiluaq, Canada
Minnie Degawan, Director, Indigenous and traditional peoples programme, Conservation International, Washington, DC
Session 8: Supporting the Implementation of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) – The Way Forward for Joint Action
L-R: Veerle Vandeweerd, Policy Director G-STIC; Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs; Alfred Watkins, Chair, Global Solutions Summit, USA; Co-Chair Juan Sandoval-Mendiolea; Co-Chair Toshiya Hoshino; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Moderator Peter Gluckman, Chair, International Network for Government Science Advice; Rafat Al-Akhali, Pathways for Prosperity: Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development
Alfred Watkins, Chair, Global Solutions Summit, USA
Veerle Vandeweerd, Policy Director G-STIC
Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
Rafat Al-Akhali, Pathways for Prosperity: Commission on Technology and Inclusive Development
Session 9: STI for Access to Affordable, Reliable, Sustainable and Modern Energy for All (SDG 7)
Daniel Cardinali, Novozymes, LA Business Development Manager, Brazil; Jim Watson, Director, UK Energy Research Centre and University of Sussex; Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Deputy Director General and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA); Co-Chair Juan Sandoval-Mendiolea; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Moderator Agnes Kijazi, Director General, Tanzania Meteorological Agency; and Jack Metthey, Director for Climate Action and Resource Efficiency, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission
Daniel Cardinali, Novozymes, LA Business Development Manager, Brazil
Jim Watson, Director, UK Energy Research Centre and University of Sussex
Nebojsa Nakicenovic, Deputy Director General and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA)
Jack Metthey, Director for Climate Action and Resource Efficiency, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission
Nebojsa Nakicenovic’s presentation to the STI Forum
Session 10: STI for Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements (SDG 11)
L-R: Kamal Bhattacharya, Chief Executive Officer Safaricom Innovation Hub, Kenya; Yunus Arikan, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy at ICLEI, Turkey; María Victoria Sukenik, Vice-Chair of U4SSC (United for Smart Sustainable Cities), Argentina; Co-Chair Juan Sandoval-Mendiolea; Rachel Stein-Holmes, Secretary; Moderator Vaughan Turekian, Senior Director at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, United States; and David Edwards, Professor at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University
Yunus Arikan, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy at ICLEI, Turkey
David Edwards, Professor at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University
María Victoria Sukenik, Vice-Chair of U4SSC (United for Smart Sustainable Cities), Argentina
Kamal Bhattacharya, Chief Executive Officer Safaricom Innovation Hub, Kenya
Innovative Technology Solutions for SDGs
L-R: Ben Jeffreys, ATEC* Biodigesters International; Dina Buchbinder, Education for Sharing; Keneth Ndua, Jiko Raha and Stephanie Rambler, UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs
Around UN Headquarters
Marine Debris Art
Children’s artwork
The rose garden