ICSU was invited by the United Nations as the co-leading organization, along with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), to represent the science and technology (S&T) community in the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2002. The S&T Community is one of the nine Major Groups identified in Agenda 21 (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, UNCED, Rio de Janeiro 1992). With the aim of involving a wide representation of the S&T community, ICSU invited the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) to join this partnership.

Through active participation in WSSD and the associated Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation, ICSU created greater awareness of the potential solutions and policy options that science and technology can bring to the table. New multi-stakeholder partnerships were established to enhance dialogue, coordination and action on the most pressing economic, social and environmental issues. The S&T community, in particular, agreed to focus on: improving education and S&T capacity building; bridging the North-South divide in S&T; clean technologies and sustainable production and consumption patterns; governance for sustainable development; long term perspectives and data needs; and augmenting financial resources for S&T for sustainable development.

ICSU follow-up activities are guided by the Ad hoc Advisory Group to the Consortium on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development and through the input from the S&T Major Group to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

• Rainbow Series
• Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation
  Rainbow Series 11

Ad hoc Advisory Group on Consortium for Science and Technology for Sustainable Development

ICSU, together with the Initiative on Science and Technology for Sustainability (ISTS) and the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), formed an Ad hoc Advisory Group to provide guidance to the three organizations on future efforts for harnessing science and technology for sustainable development. The Advisory Group report recommends strategies for identifying research priorities, for developing integrated R&D efforts, for building capacity, and for linking research to action.

• Harnessing science, technology and innovation for sustainable development

Note: A small number of hardcopies of this report that were distributed prior to 25 April had page duplications and omissions, which occurred during the printing process. If you received one of these copies and would like to have it replaced by the correct hardcopy version (in addition to the electronic version that is available here), please contact us at secretariaticsu.org.