UNESCO has joined efforts with key United Nations partner agencies to promote Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Guidebook for the Preparation of STI for SDGs Roadmaps is the fruit of this collective effort, and provides a common framework and step by step advice for practical policymaking and communication purposes. Prepared by STI experts and representatives of the the UN- Inter-agency Task Team (UN-IATT), the guidebook aims to help Member States develop practical roadmaps for accelerating the achievement of the SDGs.

The joint initiative is part of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) and its UN-Inter-agency Task Team (UN-IATT). UNESCO, the World Bank, the UN’s Department of Economical and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the European Union’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), co-led the work on the STI Roadmaps for SDGs and launched a Global Pilot Programme on STI for SDGs roadmaps in July 2019, with 5 pilot countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya and Serbia.

Available in English, The Guidebook will soon be published in all of the UN official languages. As a living document, the guide will be periodically updated to reflect countries’ experiences and inputs from key stakeholders, as more countries embark on designing and implementing STI for SDGs roadmaps over the next years.

Along with the Guidebook, two background papers are also available, one on international STI cooperation and another on existing roadmaps methodologies across the UN and development partners, offering important insights for policy-makers and stakeholders engaged in the field of STI for SDGs. An Operational Note was also developed to further facilitate the implementation of the Guidebook.