International Organisations are important actors in science and science diplomacy. Among them are traditional treaty-based International Organisations as well as informal intergovernmental organisations. They conduct and facilitate research on areas relevant for achieving the SDGs, international development, poverty alleviation, security and global public goods.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) works to advance and promote science in the interests of peace, sustainable development and human security and well-being, in close collaboration with its Member States and a wide variety of partners. It is the only United Nations specialised agency, symbolised by the ‘S’ in the acronym, with a specific mandate for science.
Besides UNESCO, which focuses on explicitly on science, itself, the thematic specialised agencies in the UN system play a role in science diplomacy, e.g. the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is a specialised agency of the United Nations leading international efforts to defeat hunger. The goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active healthy lives. With over 194 member states, FAO works in over 130 countries worldwide. UNEP, the UN Environment Programme is also an important player. Together with the Global Council for Science and the Environment, the UNEP GCSE Science Diplomacy for the Environment Program was established with a Global Science Diplomacy Program fosters cooperation of scientists and decision-makers for a transformative role in policymaking.
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) provides innovative learning solutions to individuals, organisations, and institutions to enhance global decision-making and support country-level action for shaping a better future. The mission is “to develop the individual, institutional and organisational capacities of countries and other United Nations stakeholders through high-quality learning solutions and related knowledge products and services to enhance decision making and to support country-level action for overcoming global challenges.”
Outside of Europe, the IAI, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research could be mentioned as a regional intergovernmental organization that promotes interdisciplinary scientific research and capacity building to inform decision-makers on the continent and beyond.
Visit sites: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/science-technology/science-policy-and-society/science-diplomacy, http://www.fao.org/home/en/, https://www.unep.org; https://www.gcseglobal.org / https://www.gcseglobal.org/GSD; https://unitar.org; https://www.iai.int/en/structure
Keywords: STI systems and governance, International agreements, United Nations, Agencies, Global Cooperation, Collective Achievements, Policy and society, Reports, Publications, Courses, Workshops, Webinars
