The closing plenary will gather up the key themes to consider (and anticipate) how the structures, cultures, and practices of science advisory ecosystems might adapt to address converging challenges at an increasing pace.

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This session will aim at the understanding of scientific advice to governments, developing a common view of skills and evidence-quality criteria to support implementation, and the relationship between capabilities (skills) development and institutional development and innovation.

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The panel will aim to look into these technological advances and discuss with actors for change in different fields of expertise inside and outside of the African continent to collect their perspectives for the next step. How south-south and south-north collaboration will unfold?

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This session will build off of the work of the European Commission which is co-creating national ‘roadmaps’ between national STI and public policy systems to better address sustainable development and societal transformation.

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This session will address the need for anticipatory science diplomacy and policy advice, how science diplomacy is being transformed and ensuring inclusion and participation of underrepresented nations, and communities.

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This panel aims to explore the implications of ambitious system-change thinking for the development of skills in science advice.

As the challenges we face become more complex and interacting, we are more aware than ever of the limits of so-called ‘technical advice.’ Expanding the sources of evidence has emerged as one response to addressing the structural inequalities that can be perpetuated by conventional methodologies of evidence formulation. Moreover, evidence pluralism can help position science advice to play a central role in addressing inequality for more just transitions. What (and whose) evidence counts, when, and under what conditions?

As policy issues become increasingly complex and interconnected and politics ever more polarised, robust institutions that ensure that scientific knowledge is mobilised, synthesised, translated, and integrated into the policy-making process become increasingly relevant. To inform and structure the debates about capacity-building in support of robust, interconnected science-for-policy advisory bodies, the notion of “ecosystems” of science for policy have gained significant momentum.

Science is increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of multilateral decision-making. The UN Secretary-General in his report Our Common Agenda identifies science as one key global public good, calls for “all policy and budget decisions […] to be backed by science and expertise” and science is identified as part of the “quintet of change” for a renewed multilateral system, especially as it can support foresight and a better understanding of the socio-economic drivers of sustainable transformations.

Day 2 will kick off with a look at what is meant by ‘expanded evidence’ to underpin societal transformations. From theory to practice, our esteemed panelists will share their thoughts and experiences about broadening the sources of evidence.