{"id":100657,"date":"2025-04-07T16:24:47","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T16:24:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.science\/?post_type=project&#038;p=100657"},"modified":"2025-04-08T14:32:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T14:32:28","slug":"science-advice-un","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/","title":{"rendered":"Science advice at the United Nations General Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, the ISC mandated a <a href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/news\/group-to-lead-strategy-in-the-intergovernmental-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steering Group<\/a> to strategize its engagement with the intergovernmental system and amplify the voice of science in global policymaking. This led to the establishment of the <a href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/group-of-friends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cGroup of Friends on Science for Action\u201d (GoF),<\/a> a coalition of UN Member States aiming to ensure that the UN and Member States have access to actionable knowledge for the purposes of evidence-based decision making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As parts of its efforts to strengthen the role of science in informing deliberations and decision-making in the multilateral system, the ISC is seeking to analyze the needs of the UNGA for scientific advice, review past and current science advice mechanisms, and discuss possible steps to establish a more permanent advisory mechanism. To this end, the ISC commissioned an independent research project by a group from STEaPP at University College London, aimed at mapping the current landscape of science advice at the UNGA and identifying opportunities to enhance evidence-based decision-making within this global body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strengthening Science Advice at the United Nations General Assembly<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The study <a href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cStrengthening Science Advice at the United Nations General Assembly\u201d <\/a>draws information from primary interview data and secondary literature review data, highlighting insights into formal and informal channels of evidence provision, challenges within the current science advice mechanisms, and potential strategies for establishing a robust, institutionalized science advice framework at the UNGA. The data and subsequent report recommendations suggest that the establishment of a centralized and ongoing arrangement for scientific inputs and advice would facilitate more effective integration of evidence into UNGA deliberations and decision-making processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Recommendations for Action<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Establish an Institutionalized UNGA Science Advice Mechanism (SAM): create a formal SAM with a clear mandate to provide structured, consistent, and accessible scientific advice relevant to the UNGA\u2019s annual agenda available to all UN Member States, regardless of their national scientific capacities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Increase Effective Stakeholder Inclusivity: broaden the SAM\u2019s inclusivity by meaningfully incorporating diverse input from civil society, academia, and indigenous groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Promote Transparency and Accountability: enhance the credibility of SA by instituting transparent procedures, and clear guidelines for evidence use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:25% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><a href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-724x1024.jpg?_t=1744042424\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-100650 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-724x1024.jpg 724w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-212x300.jpg 212w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-71x100.jpg 71w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-768x1086.jpg 768w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-1086x1536.jpg 1086w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-1448x2048.jpg 1448w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-141x200.jpg 141w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-600x848.jpg 600w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-256x362.jpg 256w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final-383x542.jpg 383w, https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final.jpg 1655w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/UNGA_SA_Report_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Strengthening Science Advice in the UN General Assembly <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/2-pager.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read the brief<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@nhuenerfuerst?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Nils Huenerfuerst<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/a-very-tall-building-sitting-next-to-a-body-of-water-fqzMMzpoUs4?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The International Science Council (ISC) has partnered with the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, on an independent research project looking into how science feeds into the United Nations (UN) system. The report highlights opportunities for scientific inputs and advice to become more systematized in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":100649,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[43,543,25],"region":[],"tag":[],"class_list":["post-100657","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-science-advice","tag-science-policy","tag-united-nations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Science advice at the United Nations General Assembly - International Science Council<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The International Science Council (ISC) has partnered with the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, on an independent research project looking into how science feeds into the United Nations (UN) system. The report highlights opportunities for scientific inputs and advice to become more systematized in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Science advice at the United Nations General Assembly - International Science Council\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The International Science Council (ISC) has partnered with the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, on an independent research project looking into how science feeds into the United Nations (UN) system. The report highlights opportunities for scientific inputs and advice to become more systematized in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"International Science Council\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-08T14:32:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/nils-huenerfuerst-fqzMMzpoUs4-unsplash-3000x1688.jpg?_t=1744122748\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/\",\"name\":\"Science advice at the United Nations General Assembly - International Science Council\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/council.science\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/council.science\/our-work\/science-advice-un\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/council.science\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/nils-huenerfuerst-fqzMMzpoUs4-unsplash-3000x1688.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-07T16:24:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-08T14:32:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"The International Science Council (ISC) has partnered with the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, on an independent research project looking into how science feeds into the United Nations (UN) system. 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