The News Archive | Science for a Sustainable Future

Science for a Sustainable Future

Creating knowledge and understanding through science equips us to find solutions to today’s acute economic, social and environmental challenges and to achieving sustainable development and greener societies. As no one country can achieve sustainable development alone, international scientific cooperation contributes, not only to scientific knowledge but also to building peace.

UNESCO works to assist countries to invest in science, technology and innovation (STI), to develop national science policies, to reform their science systems and to build capacity to monitor and evaluate performance through STI indicators and statistics taking into account the broad range of country-specific contexts.

Science policies are not enough. Science and engineering education at all levels and capacity need to be built to allow countries to develop their own solutions to their specific problems and to play their part in the international scientific and technological arena.

Linking science to society, public understanding of science and the participation of citizens in science are essential to creating societies where people have the necessary knowledge to make professional, personal and political choices, and to participate in the stimulating world of discovery. Indigenous knowledge systems developed with long and close interaction with nature, complement knowledge systems based on modern science.

Science and technology empower societies and citizens but also involve ethical choices. UNESCO works with its member States to foster informed decisions about the use of science and technology, in particular in the field of bioethics.

Water is fundamental for life and ensuring water security for communities worldwide is essential to peace and sustainable development. The scientific understanding of the water cycle, the distribution and characteristics of surface and groundwater, of urban water all contribute to the wise management of freshwater for a healthy environment and to respond to human needs.

Scientific knowledge of the Earth’s history and mineral resources, knowledge of ecosystems and biodiversity, and the interaction of humans with ecosystems are important to help us understand how to manage our planet for a peaceful and sustainable future. Global environmental change has profound social and human dimensions. Over 30 UNESCO programmes in ocean and natural sciences, education, culture and communication contribute to creating knowledge, educating and communicating about climate change, and to understanding the ethical implications for present and future generations.

Disaster risk reduction

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8 May 2018	Results of the Project “Sustainability Begins with Teachers in Central Asia”
11 February 2018	11 February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
16 January 2018	Call for members to join the Council of the International Geoscience Programme
1 December 2017	World Science Day was celebrated in Almaty
13 October 2017	2017 MAB Youth Forum
12 September 2017	Expo 2017 International Exhibition in Astana
10 September 2017	UNESCO participates in the First Science and Technology Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Astana
16 June 2017	UNESCO International Symposium and Policy Forum on Girls’ Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
26 October 2016	Biosphere reserves of South and Central Asia were discussed in Almaty
2 August 2016	The new Silk Way renews dialogue of cultures
14 April 2016	The V International Student Forum “Green Bridge through Generations”
9 April 2016	Conference and Presentation Model Curricula on Bioethics, Journalism and Public Policy
31 July 2015	Summer School on Glacier Mass Balance in Kyrgyzstan
19 February 2015	Summer School on Glacier Mass Balance
26 January 2015	YouthMobile Questionnaire