The world is off-track to deliver on the aspirations and goals embodied in major global agreements, from the 2030 Agenda to the Paris Agreement. Faced with challenges of extreme poverty, hunger, displacement, inequalities, health crises, violent conflict, and risks associated with new technologies, the multilateral system must be made fit-for-purpose in an era of rapid change and polycrisis. We need a new way forward to address current and emerging challenges, ensuring no one is left behind.
In the words of the UN, the Summit of the Future is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to do precisely this. The Summit aims to bring world leaders together to change the way countries work together to build a better world today and safeguard tomorrow for future generations.
The Summit’s ambitious aims include reaffirming the UN Charter, reinvigorating multilateralism, boosting implementation of existing commitments, agreeing on solutions to new challenges, and restoring trust in multilateralism and in one another. The primary outcome of the Summit is expected to be an intergovernmentally-negotiated Pact for the Future, which aims to accelerate efforts to meet existing international commitments and to reflect concrete steps toward addressing emerging challenges and opportunities.
The ISC is working in collaboration with several UN organizations, NGOs, and Member States to organize science-policy side events for the Action Day that is expected to be organized ahead of the Summit of the Future, on 21 September 2024.
Join the ISC at the following events:
| Date, time (EST), location | Description |
|---|---|
| Friday 20 Sept, 10:00-11:30 Location: UNDP FF Building, 304 East 45th Street, Rio Conference Room (9th floor) and online | Title: Digital Environmental Sustainability and AI for the Global Digital Compact Organized by: Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability |
| Friday 20 Sept, 15:00-16:15 Location: UNHQ, Conference Room 11 | Title: Activating Youth for Trust in Science Organized by: UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB); UN Group of Friends on Science for Action (GoF); Global Young Academy (GYA) |
| Friday 20 Sept, 16:45-18:00 Location: UNHQ, CR11 | Title: Systems approaches to long-term decision-making for sustainability Co-organized by: International Science Council along with Stockholm Environment Institute, United Nations Environment Programme, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, and The Future of Climate Cooperation. |
| Friday 20 Sept, 16:45-18:00 Location: UNHQ, CR7 for those registered for Action Days; live broadcast through direct link on UN Web TV | Title: Building Bridges through Science Diplomacy: Accelerating progress toward sustainable development Organized by: International Science Council, German Centre for Research and Innovation New York, UN Department of Global Communications Academic Impact initiative, Global Young Academy, Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations, Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations, and Science and Policy Solutions for the Planet ImPACT Coalition (United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, Igarapé Institute, Club of Rome, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), Stockholm Environment Institute (Nairobi)). |
| Sunday 22 Sept, 16:00-19:00 Location: Virgin Hotel, 1227 Broadway, New York, NY 10001 | Title: No human equity and wellbeing on an unstable Planet; no stable Planet without human equity (high-level roundtable and reception) Organized by: Earth4All, PIK, Future Earth, The Earth League, the ISC, Earth Commission, Planetary Guardians |
| Date, time (EST), location | Description |
|---|---|
| Saturday 21 Sept, 16:00-19:30 (incl networking/reception) Location: Scandinavia House | Title: From Multidimensional Challenges to Multidimensional Possibilities: Facing Global Risks Together Organized by: The Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment (ASRA) |
| Saturday 21 Sept, 16:00- 17:15 Location: UNHQ, CR7 | Title: Towards 2030 and Beyond: Accelerating the SDGs through Access to Evidence on What Works (side event) Organized by: UN SDG System Wide Evaluation Office (SWEO) |
In anticipation of the UN Summit of the Future, the ISC Fellows community, led by Chair of the ISC Fellowship Council, Dr. Terrence Forrester, penned a Letter to the scientific community emphasizing the critical role for scientists in building pathways to a sustainable future.
The ISC convenes the scientific expertise and resources needed to lead on catalysing, incubating and coordinating impactful international action on issues of major scientific and public importance.
At the UN level, the ISC is a trusted knowledge broker and science adviser, mobilizing its unique global membership of over 250 scientific organizations to convene and deliver robust, inclusive, interdisciplinary science advice on the most pressing issues of our time. The ISC works with Member States, UN organizations, and UN leaders through a variety of partnerships and ad-hoc collaborations, to ensure that science is integrated into international policy development and multilateral initiatives, and that relevant policies take into account both scientific knowledge and the needs of science.
The ISC also serves as co-coordinator of the Scientific & Technological Community Major Group, as member of the network of scientific institutions associated with the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board, and as secretariat, jointly with UNESCO, for the Group of Friends on Science for Action.
The ISC is committed to supporting Member States to deliver an effective, action-oriented and impactful Pact bringing about positive change for both people and the planet, firmly grounded in the latest and best available scientific knowledge.
The ISC, in its capacity as joint secretariat together with UNESCO for the Group of Friends on Science for Action, also supported written and oral inputs from the Group of Friends to the zero draft of the Pact for the Future (December 2023).
As coordinator of the Scientific and Technological Community Major Group, the ISC will attend the UN Civil Society Conference, providing an opportunity for multi-stakeholder engagement ahead of the Summit of the Future and a venue for civil society actors, scientists and other relevant stakeholders to participate and contribute to the preparations process and ongoing Pact for the Future negotiations. The Conference will take place on 9 to 10 May in Nairobi, Kenya.
The ISC is actively mobilizing and engaging its African membership in this UN gathering to ensure the representation of regional perspectives and the valuable contributions of African scientists in the ongoing global negotiation for the development of a new Pact for the Future.
