Programme / Ministerial roundtable III – Taking Forward the Results of the Summit of the Future

Summary of the session by session rapporteur Dr Kata Horváti, Senior Research Fellow, HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry:

The Summit of the Future was a high-level event held in New York in September 2024, where world leaders met and adopted the Pact for the Future, which includes clear commitments and concrete deliverables on a range of issues, such as the climate crisis, social inequalities, sustainable development, global security and technology. The meeting was not just a moment, but also a call to action, a declaration of unity to tackle the monumental challenges of our time. This roundtable discussion was about taking the Summit's achievements forward from a scientific perspective. Csaba Kőrösi underlined that the world is moving in a dangerous direction and it is clear that systemic solutions are needed to this great systemic change and set of challenges.

Sustainability transformation has a chance if pursued in parallel at national and state levels. Filip Ivanovic reported on how Montenegro works on reforms that are related to negotiation chapters of the accession to the European Union, that is in line with fulfilling many of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Santa Catarina, that is a small state in the South of Brazil, has decided to establish the Office of the State Secretary for International Affairs, which has the mission to promote supranational cooperation as key to sustainable economic development, technology transfer, and innovation, said Marcelo Fett.

On behalf of the US National Academy of Sciences, Vaughan Turekian announced, together with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the creation of a US-China collaborative on planetary health. This is considered as a historic move to bring together the scientific communities in the US and China to address the major challenges that are to be found at that interface of food and agriculture, the process of urbanization and sustainability, and human health. It is a promise that can take us to a different direction, and away from the deep geopolitical divide.

Junguo Liu emphasized that human-induced climate change is affecting the physical aspects of water security, thereby exacerbating existing vulnerabilities related to water. The “Earth Water Future Initiative” is a very concrete way to create a global cooperation network on issues that used to divide nations for centuries and to advance the implementation of the Pact for the Future.

Javier Garcia Martinez focused on the indispensable role of youth and the transformative power of science. Institutions such as the Global Young Academy and the International Science Council play a key role in empowering and connecting early-career scientists and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, providing leadership opportunities and promoting the inclusion of young scientists in global decision-making processes.

Another key conclusion of the Summit was that technology, and in particular AI, has transformative potential to address our most pressing challenges, particularly in mitigating and adapting to climate change.

That is how science and technology could lend a hand, highlighting the complexity of challenges in real terms and indicate the way ahead, helping decision-shaping for the future. Our task is to take a close look at the possibilities and solutions offered by science in shaping today's decisions of vital importance.