ICSU at the 3rd STI Forum in New York

ICSU has a role in the Forum via its Executive Director Heide Hackmann, who is part of the 10-member group supporting the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) on the SDGs. The event brings together the scientific, technology, business and civil society communities with a common interest in making the SDGs a reality. ICSU took part in a number of events during the two days.

INGSA chair Sir Peter Gluckmann moderated a session on behalf of ICSU on ways forward for the implementation of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism. ICSU co-organised a side event with IIASA, WFEO and Children and Youth Major Group on systems analysis and capacity building for the SDGs, highlighting the importance of building human capital to address the transformation challenge posed by the SDGs and the need for science-based integrated approaches to SDGs such as the ICSU report on SDG interactions and The World in 2050 project.

In partnership with the Stakeholder Forum, ICSU co-organized a second side event on addressing solutions to the food-energy-water nexus with a focus on cities. This event featured three grantees from the ICSU-managed LIRA programme. Discussion focused on the need for transdisciplinary approaches that build meaningful collaborations between scientists and local communities to address health, energy and water related challenges, and LIRA grantees showcased examples from their work in fast-growing cities in Africa.