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UNESCO officially launches the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development, a global and coordinated initiative designed to harness the power of all of the sciences – basic, applied, social and human – to advance sustainable change to our societies, economies and environment.
The 2024 Sustainable Development Goals Report highlighted that only 17% of the SDG targets are on track, nearly half showing minimal or moderate progress, and over one-third are stalled or regressing. In this context, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development and designated UNESCO to lead its implementation.
According to the UNESCO Science Report 2021, just 0.03% of scientific publications worldwide focus on ecological alternatives to plastics, just 0.02% on climate-resilient crops, and 0.01% on local strategies for reducing disaster risks related to climate disruption. Advancing knowledge in these areas could directly address hunger and improve access to clean water. The Decade aims to advance the production and use of actionable knowledge, making science more responsive to societal needs.
By mobilizing its thousands of scientific partners around the world, its 194 Member States, its educational institutions and its cultural and natural sites networks, UNESCO will support the development of initiatives to achieve the objectives of the Decade. All partners, including governments, research institutes, universities, industry, civil societies, private sectors, and individuals, are called to take part through the development of their own initiatives. UNESCO has announced the first “Call for Initiatives” via the Decade's platform. Deadline for submissions: 31 December 2024.
The launch of the Science Decade will symbolically take place at the Latin America and Caribbean Open Science Forum (CILAC) on San Andrés, Colombia.
