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FAO at the STI Forum 2022

06/05/2022

Revisit the main highlights and key takeaways from FAO’s participation at the 7th Annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum).

The seventh annual Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (STI Forum), took place 5 and 6 May. It was convened by the President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Collen Vixen Kelapile, together with the two co-chairs for the Forum: the Permanent Representatives of Tanzania and of Ukraine to the United Nations. 

The theme of the Forum was closely aligned with that of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), 'Science, technology and innovation for building back better from COVID-19 while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'. 

Read the key highlights from FAO’s engagement at the STI Forum below.

4 May, New York/Rome – Today’s STI Forum side event ‘Youth-led solutions for a better food future’, organized by the World Food Forum (WFF), the world’s largest youth movement for a better food future, highlighted the essential role of young scientists in identifying and scaling up innovative solutions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a positive agrifood systems transformation. The event also introduced the first-ever WFF Young Scientists Group (YSG) and marked the launch of the second edition of the WFF’s Transformative Research Challenge. Meet the YSG 2022 Cohort.

Delivering a special address to youth was the FAO Chief Scientist, Ismahane Elouafi, who underscored the leveraging power of science, technology, and innovation (STI) in harnessing solutions to world hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, with FAO doing its part. 

“To bring FAO’s initiatives into a coherent framework, and to facilitate the development of new initiatives, FAO is developing its first-ever Science and Innovation Strategy that will help us strengthen the use of science and innovation in everything FAO does,” she said. On the importance of STI to ensure an inclusive agrifood systems transformation, Elouafi added: “We need solutions that will sustain the lives, but also the livelihoods of people working in harmony with our planet. As one of the few women in science policy, I also know that we need to make sure that the voices of young women are equally heard and represented at every level”. 

Echoing these words was the FAO Chief Economist, Máximo Torero. “We need to enable youth to think and to act in a creative manner to address the pressing challenges that our world is facing,” he said, pointing to the catalytic potential of the WFF to this end. “The World Food Forum will serve as a global knowledge and innovation center, fostering and inspiring youth-led solutions in innovation, science and technology,” he said. Read more about the event.

5 May, New York – Today saw 'Pre-event 2: UN system work on STI for the SDGs, including outcomes of regional STI Forums and global thematic conferences.' The event convened senior UN officials discussing outcomes on the work in the Inter-Agency Technical Task Team on STI, with a host of UN agencies presenting latest outcomes and initiatives and opportunities to pave the way forward to position STI on the road to delivering on the 2030 Agenda. 

Speaking on FAO’s work around STI was Ismahane Elouafi, FAO Chief Scientist, who stressed that STI must continue to be at the heart of the 2030 Agenda, as STI is part and parcel of all SDGs and must drive our efforts to transform our agrifood systems. “Science, technology and innovation are central to achieve inclusive, efficient, resilient & sustainable agrifood systems,” she said, as part of her presentation on FAO’s vision for STI for rethinking how we produce and consume food.

“FAO is undertaking a foresight study on emerging technologies and innovations in agrifood systems in order to support FAO playing a lead role in engaging its strategic partners on participatory foresight,” she said. The study will look at breakthroughs in technology and innovation expected over the next 10 to 30 years, together with insights on context-specific impacts of destructive technologies on innovation. The study, Elouafi, added, aims to discuss how foresight can enable the identification of synergies and tradeoffs, which will be key for policymakers. Revisit the presentation by the FAO Chief Scientist.

5 May, New York – Today also saw the STI Forum Virtual Innovation Exhibition. Gathering innovators from across 17 countries, the virtual exhibition presented cutting-edge initiatives and shared insights on implementing development solutions to economic development challenges, the needs of vulnerable population, opportunities for environmental protection, pathways for agricultural innovation, and space applications.

The exhibition also featured a lightning talk series with the winners of the 2022 UN Calls for Innovations, of which two were World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards finalists – Bondi Bio and Pebbles Labs. The heads of these startups spoke during the lightning round’s session on innovations to advance agricultural and environmental sustainability.  

Bondi Bio is an initiative working to leverage solar energy and water to sequester and valorize CO2 to solar bio manufacture high-value plant-derived natural products.

Pebble Labs uses directed biotics™ as the delivery vehicle for RNA or other bioactives to harness a plant or animal’s natural processes to repel pests or activate disease protection processes.

6 May, New York – Today’s side event 'Digitalization to achieve the SDGs: Promoting effective and coherent UN support through mapping and country-level initiatives' explored the need for more effective and coherent UN support to Member States on digital innovation and their contributions to delivering on the SDGs. Organized by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology and UN DESA, the side event presented the initial results from a UN systemwide mapping of digital-related initiatives aimed at ensuring an effective and coherent UN support to Member States on digitalization. 

The event showcased key projects and programmes to illustrate how digitalization can help drive forward the SDGs. From FAO, Victoria Padula de Quadros, Nutrition and Food Systems Officer, presented the FAO/WHO Global Individual Food consumption data Tool (FAO/WHO GIFT). “A key aspect of our platform is the sharing of micro-data. Our aim is to support food system actors to achieve the SDGs, particularly SDG 2, by offering infographics and micro-data from dietary surveys,” she said. Read more.

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