Major Group: Science & Technology
STATEMENT BY the Scientific and Technological Community (STC) Major Group
Delivered by Dr Ailsa Holloway, Director, Research Alliance for Disaster and Risk Reduction (RADAR),
Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
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Thank you very much Mr Co-Facilitators, Distinguished Delegates:
I am speaking on behalf of the STC Major Group to convey key messages from the scientific community. I also coordinate Periperi U, an Africa-rooted consortium of 11 higher education institutions committed to advancing developmental disaster risk reduction. Last month, we participated in the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction hosted by Japan, a key event for the post-2015 era - now reflected in the Sendai Framework for Action.
Concerning the means of implementation, the UN Secretary General’s Synthesis Report highlights key areas through which the critical role of science can be enhanced to better enable sustainable development solutions. The S&T Community strongly supports these recommendations and urges governments to turn them into specific commitments from Member States in the Declaration. These recommendations include: (I) Increasing public expenditure in research and development for sustainable development. (II) Enhancing support for developing countries, especially LDCs, to allow them to benefit from enhanced access to technologies for sustainable development. (III) Ensuring access to the benefits of knowledge and technology for all, and creating the right incentives for sustainable practices, and for the required technological innovation.
We also underline the urgency to support higher education and capacity building in science, technology, innovation and their application. In this context, we recognise that over the next 15 years, socio-economic-environmental conditions will change, as will our knowledge of the science underpinning the goals: and, thus there is a need for a science-based process to periodically re-assess the process as knowledge changes and evolves.
We also strongly support the Secretary General’s proposal to establish a “global platform building on and complementing existing initiatives, and with the participation of relevant stakeholders” in relation to science and technology. Several international scientific bodies
(the International Council for Science, the International Social Science Council and Future Earth) have already started working on this, reflected in the recent document “Key messages proposed by the Science and Technology community for the Post-2015 Outcome Document”.
Implementation of the SDGs at the national level requires multi-stakeholder engagement involving government, business, civil society, and the scientific, educational and technological communities. Some examples of best practices include: (I) the process steered by Australia on the development/implementation of the SDGs; and (II) activities conducted by national research councils/foundations incl. the conference convened today by the German Research Foundation; and the “Our Common Future Under Climate Change” conference co-organized by French scientific institutions, the International Council for Science, UNESCO, and Future Earth. These examples reiterate the value of engaging with the scientific community. Some of the best scientists in the world are here this week: please take the opportunity to engage with them, also within side events. The scientific community stands ready to work with you in the means of implementation at international, regional and national levels.
Thank you.
Delivered by Dr Ailsa Holloway, Director, Research Alliance for Disaster and Risk Reduction (RADAR),
Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Check against delivery
Thank you very much Mr Co-Facilitators, Distinguished Delegates:
I am speaking on behalf of the STC Major Group to convey key messages from the scientific community. I also coordinate Periperi U, an Africa-rooted consortium of 11 higher education institutions committed to advancing developmental disaster risk reduction. Last month, we participated in the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction hosted by Japan, a key event for the post-2015 era - now reflected in the Sendai Framework for Action.
Concerning the means of implementation, the UN Secretary General’s Synthesis Report highlights key areas through which the critical role of science can be enhanced to better enable sustainable development solutions. The S&T Community strongly supports these recommendations and urges governments to turn them into specific commitments from Member States in the Declaration. These recommendations include: (I) Increasing public expenditure in research and development for sustainable development. (II) Enhancing support for developing countries, especially LDCs, to allow them to benefit from enhanced access to technologies for sustainable development. (III) Ensuring access to the benefits of knowledge and technology for all, and creating the right incentives for sustainable practices, and for the required technological innovation.
We also underline the urgency to support higher education and capacity building in science, technology, innovation and their application. In this context, we recognise that over the next 15 years, socio-economic-environmental conditions will change, as will our knowledge of the science underpinning the goals: and, thus there is a need for a science-based process to periodically re-assess the process as knowledge changes and evolves.
We also strongly support the Secretary General’s proposal to establish a “global platform building on and complementing existing initiatives, and with the participation of relevant stakeholders” in relation to science and technology. Several international scientific bodies
(the International Council for Science, the International Social Science Council and Future Earth) have already started working on this, reflected in the recent document “Key messages proposed by the Science and Technology community for the Post-2015 Outcome Document”.
Implementation of the SDGs at the national level requires multi-stakeholder engagement involving government, business, civil society, and the scientific, educational and technological communities. Some examples of best practices include: (I) the process steered by Australia on the development/implementation of the SDGs; and (II) activities conducted by national research councils/foundations incl. the conference convened today by the German Research Foundation; and the “Our Common Future Under Climate Change” conference co-organized by French scientific institutions, the International Council for Science, UNESCO, and Future Earth. These examples reiterate the value of engaging with the scientific community. Some of the best scientists in the world are here this week: please take the opportunity to engage with them, also within side events. The scientific community stands ready to work with you in the means of implementation at international, regional and national levels.
Thank you.