American Association for the Advancement of Science Conference: Service Society through Science Policy​

 

Poster Presentation:

Role of Young Practitioners and Policy Coherence in Enhancing the Science-Policy Interface

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In 2015, all 193-member states adopted and made commitments to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development1. Central to this agenda are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to “leave no one behind” and close the gap of inequity, locally and globally. It provides a 15-year-framework embodying the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental.

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Since 2012, other intergovernmentally-agreed development agendas have been adopted to steer the next era of sustainable development: 10 Year Framework of Programs for Sustainable Consumption & Production, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Addis Ababa Agenda Action Agenda for Financing Development, COP21 Paris Climate Change Agreement, SAMOA Pathway for Small-Island Developing States, and New Urban Agenda.

 

However, this presents the global community with an unprecedented challenge, where we all have both the opportunity and responsibility to be active contributors in implementing these global frameworks at the regional, national, local, and community level. Business as usual will not satisfy the new paradigm of sustainable development, there is need for enhanced cooperation and coherence.

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• In today’s increasingly socio-technological world, sustainable development must be driven by articulated needs and objectives. The science-policy interface (SPI)2 leverages technical capabilities across the social and natural sciences to promote evidence-based and data-informed decision-making across the cycle of policy design, implementation, monitoring, follow-up, and review.

• In the context of the newly adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the science-policy interface is central to identifying priorities, building links between thematic issues, addressing emerging needs, and developing fit-for-purpose and scalable solutions.

• While the SPI has become increasingly important in the UN, there is an urgent need to strengthen it through effective national science and technology roadmaps3. Young scientists, engineers, and other practitioners are key to achieving this and bringing appropriate technological use to help steer the next era of development4.

• This poster presents reflections on engaging young practitioners in sustainable development policy by outlining the UN Major Group for Children & Youth (UN MGCY) SPI Platform and mapping coherence across the 2030 Agenda and other sustainable development frameworks, providing recommendations and insights.