UNESCO’s Natural Science Programme has 2 broad objectives:

Strategic Objective 1: assist in the creation and enhancement of enabling policy environments in Member States for science, technology and innovation for sustainable development including the strengthening of the science, policy and society interface to advance equity and social inclusion.

This includes the mobilization of the full spectrum of sciences to advance sustainability science to address complex and interlinked global challenges in a transdisciplinary way. Capacity-building for research and education in science and engineering will be advanced including through UNESCO institutes and centres, and targeted activities in collaboration with a wide range of public and private partners and with special emphasis on using the power of ICTs

Strategic Objective 2: promote the generation and sharing of knowledge in relation to natural resources, and capacity-building through international scientific collaboration for protecting and sustainably managing the ocean and coasts, terrestrial ecosystems, biodiversity, freshwater security and the rational management of the Earth’s geological resources.

Implementation includes inter alia the coordination of monitoring activities, the production of scientific assessments, catalyzing international collaborative projects, capacity-building, and the designation of site-specific examples of sustainable development. The promotion of disaster risk reduction related to natural hazards will be pursued in particular through building capacity in early warning systems and assessments for tsunamis and other ocean-related hazards, floods and landslides to reduce risks and enhance preparedness and resilience.