International Conference Science for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development: a Call for Action

The event was coordinated by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC), in partnership with the National Academy of Medicine (ANM), and organized by the IAP Science for Poverty Eradication Committee (SPEC). Created in 2013, this committee is chaired by ABC and aims to discuss strategies to engage the Science Academies of the entireplanet in the efforts towards poverty eradication and sustainable development.

Additional support for the organization of this initiative, which included sessions on “Science for Food Security: Tackling the Challenge of Feeding the World”, “Science for Water Security: Enhancing Global Access to Water”, “Science for Health: Ensuring Universal Access to Health”, and “Building Equity through Social and Economic Policies”, was also provide by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Hydrological Program (IHP-UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Social Science Council (ISSC), the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN-UN) and the Brazilian Innovation Agency (FINEP).

Gathering 30 experts from 23 different countries, the conference focused on critical issues that most severely impact the poor. Despite the enormous advances made by the Millennium Development Goals, millions of people still lack access to basic living conditions for a dignified existence. Based on consistent policies it is possible to positively transform the lives of huge contingencies of populations, increasing quality of life of poor communities in less developed countries, and contributing towards the protection of globally marginalized people. Throughout the event, the mobilization of the international scientific community in the efforts to help eradicate poverty and contribute to the design of the Post 2015 Development Agenda, and subsequent implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, was seen as a paramount challenge. Engaging the world’s science academies in this process is an important step in this direction, and is part of the core mission of the SPEC.

Another highlight of the conference was the final session on “Science for Poverty Eradication and Sustainable Development”. Senior UN advisor Jeffrey Sachs attended as key speaker, alongside representatives from eight science academies from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe, which provided the opportunity to exchange views and experiences, and reaffirm the commitment of engaging academies in the global effort aimed at the design and later implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. This commitment was clearly embraced by all participants, and welcomed by Jeffrey Sachs, who congratulated the IAP SPEC for organizing the conference and highlighted the importance of IAP’s support in future UN meetings where the SDGs will be discussed.

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The third IAP-SPEC Conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro, on 27-29 March, 2019. The goal of this meeting will be to assemble renowned experts to discuss, motivate and help mobilize the scientific community to contribute to the paramount effort of building a sustainable planet, with more equality, peace and prosperity.

With the support of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), and the Museum of Tomorrow, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences hosted an International Conference on 'How Can Science and Technology Contribute to the Reduction of Poverty and Inequality', which was held in Rio de Janeiro on 27-29 March, 2019, at the Museum of Tomorrow (27-28 March) and BNDES (29 March).

Aim of the conference:

Eradicating poverty in all its forms and reducing inequality within and between countries are two of the greatest challenges facing humanity. In order to translate SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) into action, a comprehensive understanding of the inherent complexities and intrinsic connections between the SDGs is needed. The goal of this conference was to assemble renowned experts to discuss, motivate and help mobilize the scientific community to contribute to the paramount effort of building a sustainable planet, with more equality, peace and prosperity.

Agenda: Available here.

Email contact: Vitor Vieira, Program Officer, Brazilian Academy of Sciences - vvieira@abc.org.br

Previous meetings: The March 2019 event in Rio was the third IAP-SPEC Conference. The first was held in Manaus in 2014, and the second in Beijing in 2017.