In August 2023, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development 2024-2033" (Sciences Decade). This resolution offers a distinctive opportunity for humankind to advance and leverage science in the pursuit of sustainable development and cultivate a new science culture—to engage everyone to advance science further and equally benefit from it. Entrusted as the lead agency by the UNGA, UNESCO is diligently formulating and disseminating a clear vision and dedicated mission for the Sciences Decade through extensive consultation with Member States, partners from other UN agencies, international scientific unions, science academies, private sectors, and NGOs.
UNESCO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, co-organized the "International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development Forum" on April 25, Beijing, China. This forum is one of the parallel forums of the 2024 ZGC Forum, which is a state-level platform for global sci-tech innovation exchanges and cooperation. The primary objective of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development Forum is to foster a culture of science by expanding the outreach of the Science Decade, engaging with the scientific community, government entities, the private sector, and civil societies on the vision and mission of the Decade, and mobilizing various stakeholders for its effective implementation. 13 esteemed scientists, experts, and senior government officials from nine countries presented and exchanged their perspectives, expectations, advice, and approaches regarding the Science Decade's implementation. Additionally, the forum featured a high-level dialogue on engaging society in fostering a culture of science, and around 150 participants from more than 20 countries joined the forum.