Tag Archives: United Nations Summit of the Future (UNGA78)

Science Summit at the 77th United Nations General Assembly (Science Summit UNGA77) from September 13 – 30, 2022

Late last week (at the end of Friday, Sept. 16, 2022) I saw a notice about a Science Summit at the 77th United Nations (UN) General Assembly. (BTW, Canadians may want to check out the Special note further down this posting.) Here’s more about the 8th edition of the Science Summit from the UN Science Summit webpage (Note: I have made some formatting changes),

ISC [International Science Council] and its partners will organise the 8th edition of the Science Summit around the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA77) on 13-30 September 2022.

The role and contribution of science to attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be the central theme of the Summit. The objective is to develop and launch science collaborations to demonstrate global science mechanisms and activities to support the attainment of the UN SDGs, Agenda 2030 and Local2030. The meeting will also prepare input for the United Nations Summit of the Future, which will take place during UNGA78 beginning on 12 September 2023.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has elected, by acclamation, Csaba Kőrösi, Director of Environmental Sustainability at the Office of the President of Hungary, to serve as President of its 77th session. In his acceptance speech, Kőrösi said his presidency’s efforts will be guided by the motto, ‘Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science.’ He will succeed Abdulla Shahid of Maldives, current UNGA President, assuming the presidency on 13 September 2022

The Summit will examine what enabling policy, regulatory and financial environments are needed to implement and sustain the science mechanisms required to support genuinely global scientific collaborations across continents, nations and themes. Scientific discovery through the analysis of massive data sets is at hand. This data-enabled approach to science, research and development will be necessary if the SDGs are to be achieved.

SSUNGA77 builds on the successful Science Summit at UNGA76, which brought together over 460 speakers from all continents in more than 80 sessions.

SSUNGA77 will bring together thought leaders, scientists, technologists, innovators, policymakers, decision-makers, regulators, financiers, philanthropists, journalists and editors, and community leaders to increase health science and citizen collaborations across a broad spectrum of themes ICT, nutrition, agriculture and the environment.

Objectives

Present key science initiatives in a series of workshops, presentations, seminars, roundtables and plenary sessions addressing each UN SDG.

Promote collaboration by enabling researchers, scientists and civil society organisations to become aware of each other and work to understand and address critical challenges.

Promote inclusive science, including increasing access to scientific data by lower and middle-income countries.

Focus meetings will be organised around each of the UN SDGs, bringing key stakeholders together to understand and advance global approaches.

Priority will be given to developing science capacity globally to implement the SDGs.

Demonstrate how research infrastructures work as a driver for international cooperation.

Promote awareness of data-enabled science and related capacities and infrastructures.

Understand how key UN initiatives, including The Age of Digital Interdependence, LOCAL 2030, and the Summit of the Future,can provide a basis for increasing science cooperation globally to address global challenges.

Highlights

Two days of meetings on Wall Street at the New York Stock Exchange while highlighting the theme of science contribution to the SDGs and launching a series of meetings with corporate financiers on science funding.

Science and ICT [Information and Communications Technology]/Digital ministers in the world will be approached for their engagement and support, to have their respective missions at the United Nations host individual meetings and to request the participation of their Prime Minister.

A powerful youth programme for children, teens and students. This includes a space-related initiative currently involving some 60 countries, and this number is; very likely to increase. To inspire the world’s youth to come together and lead regional inter-generation projects to attain the “moonshots” of the 21st century – the first in this series would be the 2030 SDGs.

13-30 September 2022: Thematic Sessions and Scientific Sessions: approximately 400 sessions are planned: approximately 100 hybrid events will take place in New York City, with the remainder taking place online;

20 Keynote Lectures by eminent scientists and innovative thinkers;

12 Thematic Days, covering soil, biodiversity, indigenous knowledge, materials, clean water

4 Plenary Sessions;

100 Ministers will participate, covering science, health, environment, climate, industry and regulation;

At least 100,000 participants – in person and online.

Here’s a link to the Agenda for the 8th Science Summit and should one or more sessions pique your interest, you can Register for free here. Sessions are in person and/or via Zoom.

Special notes

Dr. Mona Nemer, Chief Science Advisor of Canada, is presenting at 4 pm EDT (1 pm PDT) today, on Monday, September 19, 2022. Here’s more from the session page (keep scrolling down past the registration button)

(REF 19052 – Hybrid) Keynote Speech: Dr Mona Nemer, Chief Science Advisor of Canada (In-Person)

“Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity,” Pasteur famously said nearly 150 years ago. In the time since, the world has seen an enormous increase in the pace of scientific discovery and consequent need for collaboration, as our challenges become both more urgent and more complex. From climate change and food security to pandemic preparedness and building the societies of tomorrow, science has a major role to play in guiding us toward a peaceful, healthy and sustainable future, and getting there requires that we work together.

In this talk, Canada’s Chief Science Advisor, Dr. Mona Nemer, shares her insights on the importance of a global science culture that promotes openness, diversity and collaboration, and how growing our science advisory systems will help to both frame the emerging issues that the world faces and provide the evidence needed to solve them.

“Science knows no country …” Really?

One final bit, it’s regarding the second highlight (Science and ICT [Information and Communications Technology]/Digital ministers …), Canada did have a Minister of Digital Government and, sometimes, has a Minister of Science. Currently, neither position exists. For the nitpicky, there is Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) which seems to be largely dedicated to monetizing science rather than the pursuit of science.