UN Forum to showcase practical, inclusive and scalable solutions to pressing global challenges

At a time of increasingly interconnected challenges, the 2026 STI Forum will bring together governments, scientists, innovators, civil society and the private sector to share knowledge and strengthen collaboration on how science, technology and innovation can accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

The Forum will take a deep dive into the water and energy sectors, bringing multi-stakeholder perspectives while spotlighting practical scientific, technological and innovative solutions and partnerships, including those at the intersection of infrastructure and industrialization, as well as sustainable cities and communities, aligned with SDGs 6, 7, 9, 11 and 17 under review at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2026. 

With artificial intelligence advancing at a lightning speed, a timely discussion will take place on the future of science, technology and innovation for sustainable development ahead of the 2027 Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance to be held back-to-back with the Forum in 2027.

Young innovators, selected following an open call, will give lightning talks at the Forum, showcasing practical, locally-grounded solutions with strong potential for adaptation and scale, from Peru to Nigeria, and from China to the Netherlands. 

Over 60 side events will be organized by Member States, UN system entities, scientific and engineering communities, academia and civil society organizations at UN Headquarters, at off-site locations, or virtually.

Who:   

• H.E. Mr. Lok Bahadur Thapa (Nepal), President of ECOSOC in its 2026 Session;     
• H.E. Mr. Chola Milambo (Republic of Zambia), Co-Chair of 2026 STI Forum;
• H.E. Mr. Gregor W. Koessler (Austria), Co-Chair of 2026 STI Forum;
• Ms. Rita Orji, Canada Research Chair in Persuasive Technology and a Computer Science Professor, Dalhousie University, Canada;
• Mr. Helmut Habersack, Professor and Head, Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and River Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria;
• Mr. Wang Jian, Director, Zhejiang Lab; Chinese Academy of Engineering; Founder of Alibaba Cloud, China;
• Mr. Robbert Dijkgraaf, President, International Science Council;
• Mr. Seng Chuan Tan, President, World Federation of Engineering Organizations;
• Mr. Vladimir Crnojević, Founder and Director of BioSense Institute, Serbia;
• Ms. Joyeeta Gupta, Professor, University of Amsterdam and IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, the Netherlands;
• Ms. Phoebe Koundouri, Professor, Athens University of Economics and Business, Greece, and University of Cambridge, UK; President, World Council of Environmental and Resource Economists Associations;
• Many more leading experts in the science, technology and innovation fields, close to 40 ministers, vice ministers or high-level delegations from Governments, hundreds of stakeholder representatives attending in-person, and thousands online.

Speakers and young innovators available for interviews can be found here

When:             

6-7 May 2026, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT (with side events on 5-7 May 2026)

Where:             

Conference Room 4, United Nations Headquarters in New York

Follow live on UN WebTV

Key Links:  

• Website: https://sdgs.un.org/tfm/STIForum2026
• 10 featured youth-led innovations: https://sdgs.un.org/tfm/STIForum2026#innovations  
• Solutions Book on 60 Youth-Led Innovations: https://sdgs.un.org/tfm/STIForum2026/Solutionsbook
• 7 Things you should know about the 2026 STI Forum:
  https://desapublications.un.org/un-desa-voice/things-you-need-to-know/may-2026/7-things-you-should-know-about-innovating
• United Nations Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs (IATT): https://sdgs.un.org/tfm/interagency-task-team 

Social Media:

• Engage via social media by using the following hashtags: #Tech4SDGs, #ECOSOC80, #GlobalGoals and by following these accounts:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SustDev;  https://www.facebook.com/joinundesa
• X: https://x.com/SustDev; https://x.com/undesa
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/united-nations-department-of-economic-and-social-affairs  

Media accreditation:

For questions relating to media accreditation, please contact malu@un.org or +1-212-963-6934.

Media contacts

• Sharon Birch | UN Department of Global Communications: birchs@un.org
• Helen Rosengren | UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: rosengrenh@un.org
• Meng Li | UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: li39@un.org