World Oceans Day 2026; June 8th.

FORUM: “REIMAGINE: Beyond the world we know, a new relationship with our ocean” World Oceans Day 2026. Reimagining a better future is the first step to building it. For too long, we have treated the ocean as something vast, distant, and separate from us. We created that distance ourselves. The ocean has always flowed through us, in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the climate that makes our lives possible. Now we are being called to reimagine that relationship. For the first time in a generation, humanity has chosen to govern a significant part of our shared ocean together. The entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement is not the end of negotiation but the beginning of a transformation that no treaty alone can complete. ‘Reimagine‘ asks us to close that distance together. To move from passive inheritors of the ocean’s generosity to active guardians of its future. To govern not just beyond our borders but beyond our blind spots, beyond the habits of taking, operating in silos, and the belief that the way things have been is the way they must remain. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #WOD2026, #WorldOceansDay, #8june, #ReimagineourrelationshipwiththeOcean, #Oceans, #campaign, #awarenessraising, #advocacy, #BBNJagreement.

Statement of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, on World Oceans Day, 8 June 2026.

In these turbulent times, the ocean reminds us that we are bound together. It shapes our climate, sustains ecosystems and economies, and feeds billions. But the ocean is in deep trouble – and we are pushing it past its limits. The Third World Ocean Assessment, launched today, documents a deepening crisis driven by climate change, overfishing, biodiversity loss and marine pollution. We cannot keep treating the ocean as limitless. We must build a new relationship with the ocean: Grounded in science. Framed by international law. And built on shared responsibility – across nations, sectors, and generations – to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. The success of the Third Ocean Conference last year and the entry into force of the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction this year show that multilateral action is possible – and necessary. On World Ocean Day, let us act with the ambition and resolve this moment demands.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

EVENTS: On Monday, June 8th, the event to mark the UN World Oceans Day 2026 will be hosted by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs (DOALOS) in partnership with Oceanic Global. Register to participate!

Jun 05 - World Oceans Day Festival - scheduled - Sea Cliff Puerto Vallarta+ Google Map.
Jun 05 - Common Waters: One Ocean Many Voices - scheduled - Arch Enemy Arts+ Google Map.
Jun 05 ( World Oceans Day Argentina – Festival 2026 - scheduled - Buenos Aires Planetarium+ Google Map
Jun 08 - World Ocean Day for Schools - scheduled
Jun 08 - Blue Carbon-New FDI Channel - scheduled - virtual+ Google Map
Jun 08 - Launch of Music Celebrating World Oceans Day 2026- scheduled - virtual+ Google Map
Jun 08 - World Oceans Day – Together for Our Blue Planet - scheduled - Street Ilioara, nr 16, Bucharest, Romania+ Google Map
Jun 08 -The ocean is closer than you think - scheduled - Kiln, Portland+ Google Map
Jun 08 - Sustainable Fishing Means Co-Management That Works: Nigeria Community Action Plan to National Enforcement - scheduled - Akungba Akoko+ Google Map.
Jun 08 - Gulf Bank Beach Clean-up - scheduled - Kuwait Towers+ Google Map.
Jun 08 - World Oceans Day 2026 I Reimagining our relationship with the ocean - scheduled - Centro Cultural de España, Costa Rica+ Google Map.
Jun 10 - The Ocean Gala onboard Peace Boat – June 10 - scheduled - Peace Boat – MV Pacific World ship+ Google Map.
Jun 11 - World Ocean Day 2026: Makatumbe Island Cleanup - scheduled - Makatumbe Island Marine Reserve+ Google Map.
Jun 13 - World Oceans Day - scheduled - Marine Environmental Education Center+ Google Map
Jun 17 - Skarks and Ocean - scheduled Paris+ Google Map.
Jun 18 - Blue Innovation Reception for the Nature Pledge in Panama on Peace Boat - scheduled
Peace Boat – MV Pacific World ship+ Google Map.
Jul 03 - The Future of the Oceans and Seas – Conference on International Ocean Governance - scheduled Representation of the State of Bremen to the Federal Government+ Google Map.

PUBLICATION: WOD2026 Discussion Guide.

This Discussion Guide is designed to support global communities, organizations, and leaders in engaging with United Nations World Oceans Day 2026 (8 June) through meaningful, inclusive, and action-oriented dialogue. It is intended for a wide range of participants - from youth and educators, to scientists and storytellers, to business leaders, policymakers, and local communities - anyone interested in shaping the future of our ocean. In 2026, we are called to reimagine our relationship with the ocean. For too long, the ocean has been treated as distant - vast, separate, and inexhaustible. Yet it has always been intimately connected to our lives: in the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the systems that sustain us. To reimagine is to close the distance we have created. It asks us to move: ● From passive inheritors → to active guardians ● From fragmented efforts → to collective stewardship ● From stagnant systems → to transformed possibilities This moment - marked by global cooperation through frameworks such as the BBNJ Agreement - is not the conclusion of progress, but the beginning of a deeper transformation that must be carried forward by all of us. 

Who This Guide Is For?

This guide is designed to be adaptable across contexts and audiences. It can be used to support:

 ● Youth & Educators Classroom discussions, student-led forums, and educational programming that foster early connection, curiosity, and responsibility.

● Scientists & Researchers Conversations that bridge research with real-world application, public understanding, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

 ● Policymakers & Government Leaders Dialogues that explore governance, shared responsibility, and implementation of global frameworks such as the BBNJ Agreement.

 ● Businesses & Industry Leaders Internal workshops or public-facing panels to rethink operational models, supply chains, and corporate responsibility in relation to ocean health.

 ● Community Leaders & NGOs Local gatherings, grassroots activations, and community-based discussions that center lived experience and collective action. 

● Cultural Voices (Artists, Creators, Storytellers) Creative explorations that reimagine how we communicate, experience, and emotionally connect to the ocean.

 ● Ocean Advocates & the General Public Open conversations, events, and social activations that invite broader participation in shaping a shared future. 

How It Can Be Used?

This Discussion Guide is designed to be integrated into: 

● Event Programming ● Content Creation ● Panel discussions and roundtables ● Community forums and workshops ● Classroom sessions and youth activations ● Corporate or organizational strategy sessions ● Creative and cultural activations.

Each section invites participants to: Reflect → Challenge → Reimagine → Act.

Objectives 

● To inspire a renewed understanding of our interdependence with the ocean ● To challenge existing systems, assumptions, and boundaries ● To create space for new ways of thinking, relating, and acting ● To catalyze collective, cross-sector action rooted in shared responsibility.

1. Reimagining Our Individual Relationship with the Ocean.

 Where does the ocean live in your life? We often think of the ocean as a place. Reimagining begins when we recognize it as a presence within and around us. 

Discussion Prompts: ● Where do you feel the ocean’s presence in your daily life - even far from the coast? ● When did you first feel a genuine connection to the ocean? What created it? ● Where in your life do you recognize a sense of distance from the ocean? ● What would it mean to move beyond that distance into a more connected relationship? ● What is one belief or habit you would be willing to leave behind to step into that new relationship?

2. Reimagining Community & Shared Responsibility.

 What does a new relationship look like - together? A shared ocean requires a shared way forward. Discussion Prompts: ● What does the practice of unity around the ocean look like in your community or organization, where does it exist and where is it missing? ● How does your community currently treat what belongs to everyone - and therefore to no one? ● Whose voices are missing from ocean conversations, and how does that shape outcomes? ● What would your community need to leave behind to move from passive awareness to active stewardship? ● How can communities better reflect the interconnected nature of the ocean in their decisions?

3. Reimagining Systems & Governance.

What does it mean to govern beyond borders - and beyond blind spots? We are entering a new era of shared ocean governance - but systems must evolve alongside intention. Discussion Prompts: ● In your field, what would it look like to go beyond what has previously seemed possible? ● What are the blind spots in how your institution or sector relates to the ocean? ● Where is the gap between individual willingness to act and institutional commitments? ● What is the greatest barrier to transforming our relationship with the ocean at a systems level? ● How can global frameworks (such as the BBNJ Agreement) translate into real, local impact

4. Reimagining Innovation & Solutions.

What becomes possible when we think beyond existing systems? Innovation is not only about technology - it is about rethinking what is possible. Discussion Prompts: ● What solutions already exist that we are not scaling or supporting enough? ● What would innovation look like if it prioritized regeneration over extraction? ● How can organizations foster creativity by challenging existing assumptions? ● What new models - economic, environmental, or social - could redefine success in ocean sustainability? ● Where can bold, unconventional thinking unlock new pathways forward?

5. Reimagining Access & Connection 

How do we bring the ocean closer to everyone? Connection drives care. Care drives action. Discussion Prompts: ● How can we make the ocean more tangible for those who have never experienced it directly? ● What barriers - geographic, economic, cultural - limit connection to the ocean? ● How can education, media, and experiences close this gap? ● What role do art, culture, and storytelling play in making the ocean accessible to all? ● How do we ensure that access leads to sustainability - not over exploitation?

6. Reimagining Collective Action 

What becomes possible when we act as one? The future of the ocean will not be shaped by isolated efforts - but by aligned action. Discussion Prompts: ● If we succeed, what does a thriving ocean look like in one generation? ● What decision can you or your organization make today that future generations will recognize as a turning point? ● What is your role in bridging the gap between the ocean we have and the ocean we need? ● What does “acting as one” look like in practice over the next 12 months? ● How can we sustain momentum beyond World Oceans Day?

7. Reimagining the Integration of Indigenous, Traditional and Local community Knowledge & Stewardship.

What can we relearn to move forward? Long before modern systems of governance and science, communities around the world lived in deep relationship with the ocean - guided by knowledge systems rooted in observation, respect, and reciprocity. To reimagine our future, we must also reconnect with what has long been known. Discussion Prompts: ● What Indigenous, Traditional and Local community Knowledge systems already embody a more connected relationship with the ocean? ● Where have modern systems created distance from these ways of knowing - and what has been lost as a result? ● What would it look like to center Indigenous, Traditional and Local community Knowledge alongside scientific knowledge in ocean decision-making? ● How can we ensure that the integration of Indigenous, Traditional and Local community Knowledge is respectful, equitable, and led by the communities it belongs to? ● What practices, values, or perspectives could we restore or relearn to guide a more regenerative relationship with the ocean?

8. Reimagining the Blue Economy What does prosperity look like in balance with the ocean?

 The ocean is a source of livelihoods, innovation, and economic growth. Yet too often, economic systems have prioritized over-extraction over regeneration. To reimagine the blue economy is to ask: what if economic success was defined by the health of the ocean itself? Discussion Prompts: ● What would a truly sustainable and regenerative blue economy look like in your region or industry? ● Where do current economic systems create harm to ocean ecosystems - and why do those systems persist? ● What existing models or solutions demonstrate that economic growth and ocean health can coexist? ● How can businesses and industries transition from overly extractive practices to regenerative ones? ● What decisions can be made today to ensure that ocean-based economies support both people and planet, for generations to come?

9. Reimagining Youth Advocacy & Leadership

 What becomes possible when the next generation leads? Young people are not only future leaders - they are already shaping the present through advocacy, innovation, and action. To reimagine our relationship with the ocean is to expand who leads - and who is heard. Discussion Prompts: ● How are young people currently influencing ocean action in your community or field? ● What barriers prevent youth from meaningfully participating in decision-making - and how can they be removed? ● What would it look like to design systems that effectively engage youth leadership, not just youth participation? ● How can intergenerational collaboration strengthen ocean solutions? ● How can current leaders support, resource, and amplify youth-led initiatives?

10. Reimagining Intergovernmental Collaboration

 What does it mean to act beyond borders - together? The ocean connects all nations, yet governance has often been fragmented across borders and sectors. Today, global cooperation - for example through the BBNJ Agreement - signals a shift toward collective action. To reimagine collaboration is to move beyond coordination toward true collective stewardship. Discussion Prompts: ● What does effective intergovernmental collaboration look like in practice for ocean sustainability? ● Where have international efforts succeeded - and where have they fallen short? ● How can countries move beyond sectorial approaches to prioritize the health of our shared ocean? ● How can global agreements translate into meaningful action at regional, national, and local levels?

CALL TO ACTION: Closing Reflection A shared ocean. A shared future. A shared way forward. Invite participants to complete the following: ● My new relationship with the ocean looks like: ● One action I'm taking towards a new future: Engage with UN World Oceans Day Post a photo and tag @UNWorldOceansDay on Instagram of your in-person, hybrid, or virtual event that integrated the Reimagine Discussion Guide. Let us know how the discussions progressed. Share any revelations or reimagined actions that came from it. Reimagining a better future is the first step to building it. It’s time to act as one.

MARKETING ASSETS: Find a selection of photos, social posts with suggested captions, and additional posts launching June 8. Tag @unworldoceansday on Instagram to amplify your posts. Download Shareable Assets

LIVESTREAM: Watch WOD 2026 Conferences, Webinars and Workshops!

World Health Day 2026; April 7th.

FORUM: "Together for Health. Stand with Science." World Health Day 2026. In a world facing complex health threats, WHO calls on everyone to stand with science – by engaging with evidence, facts, and science-based guidance to protect health. Science serves everyone, everywhere. The WHO and its partners work around the clock to generate scientific knowledge on key health priorities from healthy diets to water, sanitation, vaccines and medicines, infections, chronic conditions and mental health; sharing evidence, strengthening countries’ research capacities and systems for more equitable access to health care. Be part of this work, contributing with experiences from you and your community’s perspective, to ensure science-led public health benefits more people to guide future health policies. Our health has improved substantially over the past 100 years – thanks to scientific innovations. The future will be shaped based on how we develop and practice science-led approaches for the health of all – not only humans, but also animals, plants, ecosystems and the entire planet – through the One Health approach. Follow the conversation with the hashtags #Worldhealthday, #Health, #Together4health, #standwithscience, #sdg3.

EVENTS: This World Health Day 2026, the G7 Presidency of France will host the International One Health Summit. Bringing together Heads of State, global leaders, scientists and community representatives, the Summit will showcase how science and political commitment can drive a new way forward for safeguarding the health of the planet.

Science powers health – One Health.

From 5 – 7 April 2026; The One Health Summit plowing by a "one health" intervention will be held in Lyon, France. Progress in public health is built on global solidarity and collaboration. WHO’s ability to connect science with real-life practice in communities and countries around the world is powered through its network of 800 collaborating centres. They are national institutions working in specialized fields such as radiation, influenza, nursing, bioethics, and occupational health, among many others.

The organizers' call on everyone to stand up and speak for science sharing their experiences of how facts, evidence and science-based interventions improve their health and the health of their loved ones.

Stand with science – WHO and its collaborating centres in over 80 countries.

From 7 to 9 April 2026 will be held the Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres entitled '' Collaborating for a healthier future.'' The Forum will highlight how its unique and powerful scientific network drives health impact that touches every person’s life.

Learn how to attend the International One Health Summit and the Global Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres.

PUBLICATIONS: Creating Healthy Lives— The Future of Medical Innovation. Published by the WIPO. Medical innovations are critical for closing the gaps in global healthcare provision. These innovations are happening across multiple dimensions. The key questions addressed in this edition of the GII include: 

• What is the potential impact of medical innovation on society and economic growth, and what obstacles must be overcome to reach that potential? 

• How is the global landscape for research and development (R&D) and medical innovation changing?

• What health challenges do future innovations need to address and what types of breakthroughs are on the horizon? 

• What are the main opportunities and obstacles to future medical innovation and what role might new policies play?

 Five key messages emerge: 

1. High quality and affordable healthcare for all is important for sustainable economic growth and the overall quality of life of citizens. While significant progress has been achieved across many dimensions over the last decades, significant gaps in access to quality healthcare for large parts of the global population remain. 

2. Medical innovations are critical for closing the gaps in global healthcare provision. These innovations are happening across multiple dimensions, including core sciences, drug development, care delivery, and organizational and business models. In particular, medical technology related innovations are blossoming, with medical technology patents more numerous and growing at a faster path than pharmaceutical patents for the last decade. However, some challenges need to be overcome—notably, a decline in pharmaceutical R&D productivity and a prolonged process for deploying health innovations due to complex health ecosystems. 

3. The convergence of digital and biological technologies is disrupting healthcare and increasing the importance of data integration and management across the healthcare ecosystem. New digital health strategies need to focus on creating data infrastructure and processes for efficient and safe data collection, management, and sharing. 

4. Emerging markets have a unique opportunity to leverage medical innovations and invest in new healthcare delivery models to close the healthcare gap with more developed markets. Caution should be taken to ensure that new health innovations, and their related costs, do not exacerbate the health gap between the rich and poor. 

5. To maximize the potential for future health innovation, it is important to encourage collaboration across key actors, increase funding from public and private sources, establish and maintain a skilled health workforce, and carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of medical innovations.

GET INVOLVED!

World Day of Glaciers 2026; March 21st.

 

FORUM: "cryosphere, water and gender equality" World Day of Glaciers 2026. Today, we investigate the "great melt" and the global urgency to act. The scale of the crisis is vast: Antarctica’s ice is melting three times faster than it was just a decade ago, while half of the world’s mountain ice could vanish by the end of the century. In this episode, we revisit our Vanishing Glaciers, bringing together perspectives from scientists, Indigenous communities, and artists witnessing this shift. We explore the global response and how the loss of our "frozen reservoirs" is redrawing local lifestyles and cultural heritage.

Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #cryosphere, #21march, #Worlddayofglaciers, #permafrost, #glaciers, #cryospherewaterandgenderequality.

EVENT: The UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in cooperation with governments and relevant organizations of the UN system are invited to the observance of the World Day of Glaciers 2026 and develop necessary proposals on all activities, such as establishing an integrated global cryosphere information system and an international mechanism to facilitate access to accurate and timely information on the cryosphere. register to participate!

This journey features recorded insights from Anil Mishra (UNESCO) and Ko Barrett (WMO), alongside Douglas Hardy, a glacier specialist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Harvard researcher Emil Karpinski.

The UNESCO, WMO and the IYGP Community will celebrate the World Day for Glaciers and the World Water Day at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris on 18-19 March 2026, closing the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation 2025 and launching the new Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences with dedicated sessions and side events highlighting the vital links between cryosphere, water and gender equality.

UPCOMING MEETINGS, CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS

CAMPAIGN: Protecting our frozen heritage.

World Science Day for Peace and Development 2024; November 10th.

FORUM: "Why Science Matters - Engaging Minds and Empowering Future." World Science Day for Peace and Development 2024. The theme will highlight the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. We will also underline the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. By linking science more closely with society, This year’s observance aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable. The launch of the Decade of Sciences marks an important step in global efforts to harness scientific knowledge for a sustainable future. Led by UNESCO, this Decade aims to mobilize a wide range of scientific disciplines, including basic and applied sciences, social and human sciences, as well as interdisciplinary and emerging fields, to contribute to transformative change in societies, economies, and the environment. By promoting scientific literacy and encouraging collaboration among governments, UN agencies, the private sector and civil society, the Decade seeks to enhance science’s role in pursuing sustainable development goals and working towards a safer, more prosperous future for all. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Science4Policy, #sciencematters, #ScienceDay, #10November, #sustainableDevelopment, #WorldScienceDayforPeaceandDevelopment.

EVENTS: On November 10th and during the International week of Science 2024, several activities, workshops and experiments will be held; Explore the International Council of Science (ICS) upcoming meetings and the AAAS upcoming events.

On November 12th, from 14:00 - 15:30 CEST, you are invited participate to the webinar entitled "Why Science Matters - Engaging Minds and Empowering Future.” to mark the World Science Day for Peace and Development 2024 at UNESCO Conference Room XI. In August 2023, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the period 2024-2033 as the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development. This year’s event will be held under the aegis of the Decade. It will present an opportunity to engage a wide-range audience, with a focus on young people (including through the UNESCO Youth Forum and Science Youth Network) and non-scientific participants in discovering and exploring the role of science in our rapidly-changing digitalized world. Young people will have the opportunity to ask questions to distinguished scientists about the ways in which science affects our daily lives and contributes to finding solutions to the most pressing challenges that the world is facing from local to global levels. In this context, the 2024 UNESCO World Science Day event event will close with the ceremony of the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science. Get the Agenda Programme and Register to participate!

PUBLICATIONS: Read the The UNESCO standard-setting instruments: the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers (2017) and the Recommendation on Open Science (2021). These instruments articulate a vision where science ecosystems are driven by universal values and aim at making science and its benefits accessible to all.

STATEMENTS: Read the Statement from the Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development, 10 November 2024.


Science is essential to peace-building because it offers practical, sustainable solutions to contemporary global challenges. By seeking responses to climate crises, epidemics and resource shortages, science helps to mitigate the root causes of many conflicts. Beyond providing technical solutions, science forges a common language in which concord prevails over division. It creates unique opportunities for international cooperation, as illustrated by the International Centre for Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) in Jordan, which brings together scientists from throughout the Middle East, under the auspices of UNESCO.World Science Day for Peace and Development celebrates this impetus, which is reinforced by the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033) proclaimed last year by the United Nations and placed under UNESCO’s leadership. This Decade encourages collaboration in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by increasing synergies between basic, applied and human sciences, and by strengthening cooperation in this area between governments, United Nations agencies, the private sector and civil society.Collaboration between all stakeholders is essential, and making this dialogue accessible to as many people as possible is precisely one of the key focuses of open science. In line with this aim, the Recommendation on Open Science (2021) promotes equitable access to scientific data, funding and equipment. UNESCO also supports the work of women scientists, who currently account for only a third of the world’s researchers. For 25 years, the partnership between UNESCO and the L’Oréal Foundation has supported the careers of over 4,400 women scientists in 140 countries. In 2024, UNESCO also launched a call to action to raise awareness in the scientific community of the need to promote the inclusion of women in research. In a changing world, it is urgent to increase funding for research and ensure that everyone has access to quality scientific education. UNESCO reaffirms its conviction that open, inclusive and justly supported science is the cornerstone of lasting peace.

Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director General.

World Science Day for Peace and Development 2023; November 10th.

FORUM: “Building trust in science.“ World Science Day for Peace and Development 2023. The theme of the November 10th observance is “Building trust in science.“ The role of science in shaping our collective future can only be fulfilled when there is trust in science. It is trust in science that fuels the development and application of evidence-based solutions to our world’s multifaceted challenges. Trust in science is a complex issue. It affects the way in which scientists operate and the way science is perceived by society. Also, enhancing trust in science strengthens science-based policy decisions and society’s support for their application. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #Science4Policy, #TrustInScience, #ScienceDay, #10November, #sustainableDevelopment, #WorldScienceDayforPeaceandDevelopment.

EVENTS: On November 13th, you are invited participate to the High-level roundtable on the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development 2023; The Panel discussions entitled “Building Trust in Science at the Nexus of Science; Policy and Society.” starts at 6:30pm at UNESCO Conference Room II. The High-level roundtable aims to explore the parameters contributing to building and preserving trust in science. The roundtable will offer an opportunity to discuss the links between science, policy, society, and science-based policy making, and to gain a better understanding of the status of scientific research. It will also highlight the importance of freedom and safety of scientists, as a key ingredient for science ecosystems driven by universal values, and the vital role of science popularization in enhancing scientific literacy, raising public awareness and trust in science. These principles are laid down in two UNESCO standard-setting instruments: the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers (2017) and the Recommendation on Open Science (2021). These instruments articulate a vision where science ecosystems are driven by universal values and aim at making science and its benefits accessible to all.

Agenda Programme of the World Science Day for Peace and Development 2023 celebration.

Building Trust in Science at the Nexus of Science, Policy and Society (high-level roundtable)- Registrate to participate to the ” 2023 Journée mondiale de la science + Prix UNESCO-Kalinga”.

Ceremony of the 2023 UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science - Watch the “2023 World Science Day + UNESCO-Kalinga Prize” live webcast!

The event will close with the ceremony of the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science. 

WORLDWIDE EVENTS: Explore the International Council of Science (ICS) upcoming meetings and the AAAS upcoming events.

STATEMENTS: Statement from the Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development, 10 November 2023.

Science holds the undeniable potential to change our world for the better. Vaccines, for instance, have played a critical role in curbing the spread of diseases such as COVID-19, measles, and polio. Innovations in energy and agriculture have led to increased crop yields while reducing the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and water. Central to these breakthroughs is scientific research, which drives all major leaps in understanding. To underline its immense potential, UNESCO celebrates World Science Day for Peace and Development every year. This year, we also celebrate the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development, which will transition into the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (2024-2033).At the heart of UNESCO’s endeavours to support science and scientific research is our Recommendation on Open Science, adopted in 2021. This text underscores that, to unlock the potential of science, scientists need access to data, funding and equipment. They need to collaborate with their peers if they are to accelerate progress and bridge technological and knowledge gaps in and between countries.The Recommendation also underlines the importance of making science more open to marginalized groups, particularly women and indigenous people. Indeed, according to the UNESCO Science Report, only one in three researchers is female. UNESCO is therefore working to foster gender equality in science – for example, through initiatives in Africa and the Caribbean with the L’Oréal Foundation. Over the past 25 years, this partnership has bolstered the careers of over 4,100 female scientists from more than 110 countries.Importantly, the Recommendation underscores the importance of public trust in science: a wider understanding that science is a continuous quest for truth entailing a process of trial and error. This issue is also the theme of this World Science Day – and the focus of a ministerial roundtable at UNESCO Headquarters on 13 November 2023. This event aims to build trust in science by addressing questions such as scientific literacy and the alignment of science with societal needs, as well as the freedom and safety of scientists.In our rapidly changing world, supporting scientific development and fostering an understanding of science are imperatives, not mere options. UNESCO therefore advocates for increased funding for scientific research, a higher representation of women in science, wider access to quality science education for all, and public engagement in scientific processes. Science that is more open, better funded and more equitable is the science the world urgently needs.

Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.