Give the science for peace a chance
Science in multilateral policymaking: COP28 in numbers, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and COP16 biodiversity meeting in Cali, Colombia
A record number of people in 70 countries took part in national elections this year. And in March, Nature reported that results in at least five polls could either boost or block climate action (see Nature 627, 22–25; 2024). Science in multilateral policymaking has been a dismal year. The use of science in decision-making is being affected by tensions and distrust in the news. Research is being ignored in international talks designed to meet global challenges, including those addressed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Campaigners, scientists and policymakers are becoming ever more frustrated. The International Court of Justice in The Netherlands is hearing arguments about states obligations under international law to protect people from the effects of climate change. Others are following a more direct route through activism.
It may seem like the world is in a golden age of science. Researchers at universities, in campaign groups and in industry are attending COPs and other meetings in considerable numbers: at least 3,000 scientists attended last year’s COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (see ‘COP28 in numbers’). They have many roles. Some advise nations’ delegates, the policymakers involved in treaty negotiations. Others are members of official UN science advisory committees. And some come to the meetings to take advantage of the presence of the global media to publicize their research. It is obvious to observe that delegates are not taking research into account in the talks. Negotiating positions wouldn’t become as discourteous if they were.
The UN COP16 biodiversity meeting in Cali, Colombia, also ended without the funding boost needed to restore and protect nature. Countries pledged $163 million, which is orders of magnitude short of the $200 billion a year needed to reach the goal of protecting 30% of the world’s land and seas by 2030. Delegates did agree that large companies should pay if they made a profit using genetic information from nature, but payments will be voluntary.
Even though groups of scientists in several countries have proposed ways to end plastic pollution, they are struggling to make their voices heard at the talks on a plastics treaty. This is because the UN still hasn’t organized a formal system for researchers to advise during the discussions.
This work is important because it will provide scientists with visibility into fields that they do not influence, and it is also important because it will give them knowledge and skills. In a comment article published last month, M. M. Lpez points out that science often isn’t represented in diplomacy or peace-building. Commun. Eng. 3, 159; 2024). According to the article, peace-building efforts are lead by people with expertise in law, diplomacy, and humanitarian relief. People with science, engineering, and technology skills need to be doing strategic planning. Peace itself is foundational to the SDGs, not least SDG 16: peace, justice and strong institutions. When regions are disrupted, research is often interrupted, resources are diverted, partnerships and knowledgeexchange are disrupted, and innovation is disrupted.
They are asking the right questions as they set themselves a monumental task. Their plan doesn’t assume that wars are inevitable. Africa’s leaders and their international partners must sit down and listen to what they are proposing.
At last week’s African Academy of Sciences (AAS) general assembly in Abuja, Nigeria, Lise Korsten, president of the AAS, which is headquartered in Nairobi, and Sara Clarke-Habibi, a peace-building specialist at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva, Switzerland, outlined a way for the African scientific community to work with stakeholders in the pursuit of peace and in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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