Science Policy and Capacity-Building

Science Policy
 STI Systems and Governance
 Science, Policy and Society

World Science Forum

As a leading event of global science policy today, the World Science Forum facilitates the participation
of all actors in setting out the path ahead for science, policy and society

© László Mudra - Hungarian Academy of Sciences

World Science Forum

Every two years, UNESCO, together with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) and the International
Council for Science (ICSU), organizes the World Science Forum, providing a unique global platform for fruitful
dialogue on new emerging issues affecting science, policy and society. It brings together over 900 scientists,
policy makers, industry, representatives of the civil society and the media to set out the common tasks ahead in
tackling these issues. The World Science Forum is one of the leading events of global science policy today.

The Forum focuses on:

 Strengthening interaction between science, policy and society;
 Facilitating and reinforcing the global networks of science, technology and innovation (STI) ministers and
parliamentarians and contributing to their participation to the changing landscape of science in relation to
development challenges;
 Encouraging better linkages between academia and industry globally;
 Ensuring the contribution of young scientists to the discussion on STI issues;
 Creating an environment for collaboration;
 Ensuring the participation of and giving visibility to scientists from developing countries.
One of the major outcomes of the Forum is a Declaration providing insights and commitment for action by the
international community.

World Science Forum 2017 "Science for Peace"

The next World Science Forum will take place in 2017, hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, under the
theme “Science for Peace”.
The Forum is organized on or around 10 November to mark World Science Day for Peace and Development,
an internationally celebrated day dedicated to science. In celebration of this day, the UNESCO Kalinga Prize
for the Popularization of Scienceand the UNESCO Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation are
awarded at the World Science Forum.
Brief History: World Conference on Science
 © UNESCO

In 1999, UNESCO and ICSU organized the World Conference on Science for the Twenty-First Century: A New
Commitment, in Budapest, Hungary. One of the outcomes of the conference was the Declaration on Science
and the Use of Scientific Knowledge and Science Agenda - Framework for Action, which included the following
guideline for action:
 Science and technology policies should be implemented that explicitly consider social relevance, peace, cultural
diversity and gender differences. Adequate participatory mechanisms should be instituted to facilitate democratic
debate on scientific policy choices. Women should actively participate in the design of these policies.
First World Science Forum
In 2003, in follow-up to the declaration and framework for action, HAS offered to host a conference every 2
years around emerging global issues related to science, policy and society under the name of the World
Science Forum. The first World Science Forum took place under the theme “Knowledge and Society”.
Budapest +10
In November 2009, the theme of the World Science Forum was a 10-year review of follow-up to the World
Conference on Science. The Forum analysed how many countries had adopted the new social contract for
science over the previous decade and to what effect. More information
Further follow-up initiatives
The World Conference on Science gave rise to a number of global initiatives and networks sponsored by
UNESCO:
 World Science Day for Peace and Development
 STI Policy: The Role of Parliaments
 The Israeli-Palestinian Science Organization
 The World Association of Young Scientists