Side Event on Science Popularization Held at 11th UN STI Forum

New York City, May 6 -- A side event themed "Science Popularization Empowering Technological Innovation and Application" was convened online on the evening of Wednesday on the margins of the 11th United Nations Science, Technology and Innovation Forum (STI Forum).

The event was jointly organized by the China Association for Science and Technology United Nations Consultative Committee on Scientific Literacy (CAST-CCSL), the China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP), the Chinese Care and Compassion Society (CCCS), the Global Science and Justice Centre (GSEJ) at the University of Kent, UK, and the Andean Road Science and Technology Organization (ARCST). Scholars, policymakers, and practitioners from UNESCO, renowned universities, research institutions, and social organizations worldwide participated in the session.

Six experts delivered keynote speeches, including Hu Shaofeng, Director of the Ethics, Research and Technology Division of the UNESCO Science Sector; Professor Joy Y. Zhang, Founding Director of the Global Science and Justice Centre at the University of Kent; Dr. Natalia Pasternak, Lecturer in Science Communication and Policy at Columbia University and Director of the Brazilian Institute for Science Issues (Instituto Questao de Ciencia in Brazil); Professor Romain Murenzi, former Executive Director of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) and Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI); Professor Marco A. Cabero Z., Chair of ARCST and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Latin American Science and Culture; and Professor Zhang Zhimin, Director of the International Cooperation Division at CRISP.

Their presentations covered a range of topics, including global strategies of international organizations, citizen science in the age of AI, governance of scientific misinformation, effective pathways for building a scientific culture, and global collaboration in genomic science.

Integrating theory with practice, the speakers explored ways to strengthen science popularization to drive technological innovation and offered policy recommendations for building a fair and coordinated global innovation ecosystem.

The UN STI Forum is a key platform for the Technology Facilitation Mechanism under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its outcomes are directly reported to the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The 11th STI Forum took place on May 6-7, 2026, at UN Headquarters in New York under the theme "Transformative, equitable, and coordinated science, technology and innovation for the 2030 Agenda and a sustainable future for all."

The China Science Writers Association (CSWA), serving as the secretariat for the CAST-CCSL, will continue to pool expertise and resources. It aims to actively participate in global science governance in the field of public scientific literacy through high-level research and practical initiatives, contributing to the enhancement of national soft power and the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Tags: China Research Institute for Science Popularization, China Science Writers Association