On June 11, 2021 UNESCO to present the 7^th edition of the Science Report ‘The Race Against Time for Smarter Development’.

The UNESCO Science Report is a global monitoring report published regularly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Every five years, this report maps the latest trends and developments in national and regional policy landscapes, against the backdrop of shifting socio-economic, geopolitical and environmental realities.

The 7^th edition of the UNESCO Science Report’s subtitle, ‘The Race Against Time for Smarter Development’, captures urgency to rethink development models by 2030, the deadline for reaching the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Since 2015, most countries have aligned their national policies with The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and are engaged in a gradual transition to ‘green’ economies. Governments are stepping up support for smarter production and consumption systems.

In parallel to their green transition, governments are digitalizing public services and payment systems to improve service delivery, support business and combat corruption and tax evasion. Policies are fostering the emergence of a digital economy, including smart manufacturing, smart finance (fintech), smart health care services like telemedicine and smart agriculture. The report’s subtitle is also an allusion to this form of ‘smarter development’ driven by digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, big data, the Internet of Things and blockchain technology which are converging with nanotechnology, biotechnology and cognitive sciences to form the bedrock of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (also known as Industry 4.0).

In 2020, the Russian Federation finds itself at a crossroads. It may have emerged from recession but, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the economy was still growing at a slower rate than the world average and less than half as fast as the emerging economies of India and China. According to the report, there has been an international alignment of development priorities over the past five years, with countries of all income levels prioritizing their transition towards digital and ‘green’ economies in parallel. The Russian Federation is increasingly focusing on assessing external and internal challenges and risks, developing goalsetting and communication mechanisms, improving its resource potential and coordinating regulatory measures.

Leonid Gokhberg, First Vice-Rector at the HSE University in Moscow, Russia, and Director of the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, will present the Russian chapter of the UNESCO Science Report and inform about Eastern Europe trend overview.

The launch ceremony on June 11, will feature a video and expert discussion of the report’s key findings. Following an introductory message by the UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, and interventions by the Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences, Shamila Nair-Bedouelle, and the Editor in Chief of the report, Susan Schneegans, six of the report’s authors will provide an overview of trends in their region. These regional overviews will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

The launch event will take place online from 16:00 to 18:00 (CEST), a webinar hosted by UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Download the provisional programme for the launch event in English or French.