By FENG Kai1 and Tracey Elliott 2
The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) project “Improving Scientific Input to Global Policymaking” is now mid-way through its three-year programme and we’re pleased to report its progress to-date.
Funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York, the project aims to:
raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially amongst the academies;
explore opportunities to support SDGs more effectively, with a focus on how the academies can play their part systemically;
encourage collaboration and adoption of good practice among organizations that generate scientific advice and support.
CAS Member Prof. LI Jinghai (Vice President of ICSU) and Eva Alisic (former Co-Chair of the Global Young Academy) are co-chairing a dynamic group of international experts, nominated by IAP members, the Global Young Academy and ICSU. They are all dedicated to helping academies, whether senior or young, established or new, to better play their part in science advisory systems at national, regional and global levels, and to support the UN’s Agenda 2030.
Outputs to-date
Our survey of senior and young academies was published last summer. Most of the 88 respondents indicated their academies were keen to play a role in supporting the SDGs and other global policy frameworks, especially at the national level, but were not always sure how best to do this. Their awareness of policymaking processes, structures and terminology was limited.
In response to this, we have produced a simple, concise guide to the SDGs for merit-based academies to help them navigate their way around the UN and the SDGs, and identify practical ways in which they can get involved. A database of SDG-relevant reports published by the academies is presently being developed as a potential tool for identifying where there is in-country capacity (interest and/or expertise) to address the SDGs. It is anticipated that this will be of interest to different parts of the UN system, development agencies and donor organisations.
For the remainder of the project, we are focusing on outreach and dissemination, through four regional workshops, co-hosted with IAP’s regional networks (AASSA, EASAC, IANAS and NASAC), as well as the production of a final report, which we will highlight at the IAP Triennial Conference and General Assembly in February 2019.
For further information on the project, please contact projects@iapartnership.org or visit our webpages at http://www.interacademies.org/36061.aspx.