The United Nations – MoST Joint Capacity Building Workshop on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development (STI), organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China (MoST), and the United Nations Economic and Science Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) was successfully held from 9 to 17 December in Guilin, China.
Government officials and well-known experts from United Nations (UN), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Bank and other organizations as well as the science and technology, education and even commerce ministries from different countries around the world that supports STI work convened at the opening ceremony to discuss the future of sustainable development and seek a new chapter in green development.
Mr. Shantanu Mukherjee, the Chief of Integrated Policy Analysis Branch, the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG), UN-DESA, Mr. Jonathan Tsuen Yip Wong, the Chief of Technology and Innovation Section, UNESCAP, Mr. Afework K. Gizaw, the State Minister of Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Ethiopia and Mr. Has Bunton, the Secretary General of National Science and Technology Council of Ministry of Planning, Cambodia attended the training and delivered speeches.
Mr. Shantanu Mukherjee gave a detailed introduction of Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR). He explained the key findings and recommendations from the report and discussed the way of applying GSDR’s approach for policy-making and concrete actions.
In his speech “Observation to Development of China’s Intelligent Technology Industry”, WFEO President Prof. GONG Ke pointed out the fact that many countries have already set their national strategies of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development. He stressed that AI represents a new trend of scientific and technological revolution, and industrial reform. It is important for us to seize this historical opportunity. And AI is the “head goose” of emerging technologies and a new productive force to drive the human society.
Prof. GONG Ke also shared several governance principles from different countries. He highlighted the New Generation AI Governance Principles of China with the theme of developing responsible AI, addressing eight tenets including harmony and friendliness, fairness and justice, inclusiveness and sharing, respect for privacy, security and controllability, shared responsibility, open cooperation and agile governance.
He also told that WFEO is drafting AI & Big Data Principles in Engineering to promote responsible conduct of the application and innovation of AI & Big Data which will be released on the inaugural World Engineering Day (WED) ceremony on 4 March 2020. Based on these principles, he called for building an open, coordinated and secure environment for the development of AI.
Prof. GONG Ke also had a meeting with Mr. Shantanu Mukherjee and Wei LIU, to exchange ideas on cooperation with UNDESA to organize Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation Forum, especially the competition “Innovations – Youth Creativity for Sustainable Transport”, on the second UN Global Sustainable Transport Conference, in Beijing.
Since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development it has become the common subject of current international development cooperation and the common responsibility of the international community. Now DSDG in UN-DESA is implementing a project for “Mobilizing Science, Technology and Innovation in Developing Countries for the SDGs” funded from the “2030 Agenda Sub -Fund of the UN Peace and Development Trust Fund” contributed by the Government of China.
Besides, UNESCAP has published several reports and policy frameworks. Based on the collaboration framework, DSDG together with MoST of China and UNESCAP, in collaboration with United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and WIPO, is preparing this United Nations – MoST Joint Capacity Building Workshop on STI to provide an international platform and mechanism for STI collaboration.
For more information:
Workshop presentation on the United Nations website
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) website
Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China website
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UN-ESCAP) website
Sustainable transport on the agenda of the SDGs
DEC
2019