Foreword
The contribution of innovation and technology to sustainable development was at
the heart of the 2016 edition of the Conference on Technologies for Development
(Tech4Dev), organized by the UNESCO Chair in Technologies for Development at
the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Beyond the importance of
technological innovation for sustainable development, this Conference raised a
question that appears crucial to UNESCO in order to respond adequately to today’s
complex economic, societal, environmental, and cultural challenges: how do we get
from innovation to social impact?
In order to maximize the overall positive benefits of science, we need to incorporate a vision of innovation in Science, Technology and Innovation
(STI) policies including other important components, such as the promotion of
South–South and North–South–South cooperation, investments at country level into
accessible and quality education systems, gender equality, the reinforcement of
science–policy–society interfaces and the inclusion of national, regional, and
grassroots innovation capacities, as well as of local and indigenous knowledge.
Today, more than ever, we need more science, better, interconnected, crosscutting
science, relevant to people.
The adoption of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda in September 2015, with its
set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), marked a significant step forward
in the recognition of the contribution of STI to sustainable development and its
three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. The 2030 Agenda also offers
immense opportunities to reconnect science to society and to build a new basis for
research and development as a key precondition for both science and society to
flourish.
As the only UN agency with science in its mandate, UNESCO has a leading role
in using and promoting STI as effective tools to contribute to sustainable development. Since its foundation 72 years ago, the Organization has been strongly
committed to reinforcing the links between science, policy, and society, and to
promoting STI policies that benefit society as a whole. With its network of international scientific programmes, centers of excellence, institutes, and Chairs
v
The contribution of innovation and technology to sustainable development was at
the heart of the 2016 edition of the Conference on Technologies for Development
(Tech4Dev), organized by the UNESCO Chair in Technologies for Development at
the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Beyond the importance of
technological innovation for sustainable development, this Conference raised a
question that appears crucial to UNESCO in order to respond adequately to today’s
complex economic, societal, environmental, and cultural challenges: how do we get
from innovation to social impact?
In order to maximize the overall positive benefits of science, we need to incorporate a vision of innovation in Science, Technology and Innovation
(STI) policies including other important components, such as the promotion of
South–South and North–South–South cooperation, investments at country level into
accessible and quality education systems, gender equality, the reinforcement of
science–policy–society interfaces and the inclusion of national, regional, and
grassroots innovation capacities, as well as of local and indigenous knowledge.
Today, more than ever, we need more science, better, interconnected, crosscutting
science, relevant to people.
The adoption of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda in September 2015, with its
set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), marked a significant step forward
in the recognition of the contribution of STI to sustainable development and its
three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. The 2030 Agenda also offers
immense opportunities to reconnect science to society and to build a new basis for
research and development as a key precondition for both science and society to
flourish.
As the only UN agency with science in its mandate, UNESCO has a leading role
in using and promoting STI as effective tools to contribute to sustainable development. Since its foundation 72 years ago, the Organization has been strongly
committed to reinforcing the links between science, policy, and society, and to
promoting STI policies that benefit society as a whole. With its network of international scientific programmes, centers of excellence, institutes, and Chairs
v