Programme / Plenary session III – SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE – Taking Forward the Results of the Summit of the Future

The implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the progress towards Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 by UN member states, is behind schedule as it was clearly shown in the halfway to 2030 Global Sustainable Development Report of 2023. While the reasons for going off-track are manifold and the consequences are alarming, there is a clear consensus that the solutions to accelerate the progress towards SDGs are deeply rooted in science. In an era of unprecedented interconnectedness among global and local systems of the environment, the society and the economy, both the strengthening of the science-policy interface and the analytical, predictive and transformative powers of science are needed to get us back on track towards a sustainable future and international peace and security.

As decided by the UN General Assembly, the UN Summit of the Future will take place in September 2024, and its main outcome will be an action-oriented Pact for the Future, comprising a chapeau and five chapters on sustainable development and financing for development; international peace and security; science, technology and innovation and digital cooperation; youth and future generations; and transforming global governance.

The discussions will address the responsibilities of both science and policy and present new initiatives which aim to accelerate progress and can support the transition to a new course of development.