Background and mandate of the African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development established the collaborative Multi-Stakeholder Science, Technology, and Innovation Forum for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum). The Science, Technology and Innovation Forum is part of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism, which was established by the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and launched by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Forum is organized by the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, and is supported by a 10-member group appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General drawn from the private sector, scientific community and civil society.
The global Multi-Stakeholder STI Forum is convened once a year to “discuss science, technology and innovation cooperation around thematic areas for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, congregating all relevant stakeholders to actively contribute in their area of expertise”, as well as “provide a venue for facilitating interaction, matchmaking and the establishment of networks between relevant stakeholders and multi-stakeholder partnerships in order to identify and examine technology needs and gaps, including with regard to scientific cooperation, innovation and capacity-building”. All these measures are expected to help facilitate the development, transfer and dissemination of relevant technologies for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum was established by the Conference of Ministers. In its resolution 960 (LI) of 15 May 2018, they called on the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in collaboration with the African Union Commission and other partners, to take all steps necessary to organize on a regular basis a multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation as an input into the work of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development and the Multi-stakeholder Science, Technology and Innovation Forum for the Sustainable Development Goals.
The first African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum was held in Marrakech, Morocco, on 16 April 2019, in collaboration with the Department of Science and Innovation, South Africa. The Forum generated a number of key messages that recognized:
(a) Inadequate hard and soft STI infrastructure as a major constraint;
(b) Inadequate investment by African countries in STI;
(c) The importance for countries to harness the innovative spirit of Africa’s youth;
(d) The need for African countries to develop strong STI policies and strategies;
(e) The promotion of Intra-African STI collaboration as essential.
It also identified cross-cutting issues and called on countries to consider (a) promoting local solutions for local challenges, (b) encouraging intra-Africa trade and competitiveness, (c) enhancing private sector participation and intellectual property protection, (d) promoting peace and security, (e) empowering youths and women, and (f) facilitating regional collaborations in STI.
Objective of the Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
The overall objective of the second African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum is to conduct a regional follow-up and review of progress made in order to identify potential mechanisms and measures that countries can deploy to scale up action, facilitate peer learning and advance transformative solutions to accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of Agenda 2063:
(a) Conduct a regional follow-up to, and review of, the implementation of the goals, with a focus on STI-related targets and STI as a means of implementation;
(b) Provide a platform for peer learning and sharing of experiences, approaches, good practices and lessons learned, in order to accelerate the implementation of the two agendas;
(c) Identify the technological gaps, institutional voids, challenges and opportunities for driving innovation for scaling up the implementation;
(d) Identify actionable mechanisms for collaboration and matchmaking, to strengthen regional and international partnerships and investments in science, technology and innovation, to accelerate implementation of the two agendas within the decade 2020–2030.
Theme of the second African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum
The theme of the second African Science, Technology and Innovation Forum is drawn from the theme of the sixth session of the Regional Forum: “2020–2030: A decade to deliver a transformed and prosperous Africa through the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063”.
The sixth Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development will undertake a review of all 17 Sustainable Development Goals in five clusters – People, Prosperity, Planet, Peace and Partnerships.
The Youth Cafe's contact at the Forum
Tendai Rugare
Associate Member
Email: Tendai.Rugare@theyouthcafe.com