World Science Day for Peace and Development 2019

The World Science Day for Peace and Development 2019 will be devoted to the theme of "Open Science, leaving no one behind".
The World Science Day for Peace and Development, celebrated every year on 10 November, was established by UNESCO in 2001 with the aim of highlighting the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging and important contemporary issues relevant to science.

In 2019, the Day will be celebrated at UNESCO Headquarters on 8 November on theme of “Open Science, leaving no one” and will include:
- UNESCO Campus: a conversation on Open Science with school students, UNESCO Permanent Delegations and other partner organizations
- Policy Roundtable on Open Science: Discussion with experts and policy makers on the benefits and challenges of “opening science to society” and “opening the society to science”
- Moderated dialogue on Open Science with scientists and innovators that have benefited from Open Science.

The celebration of the World Science Day 2019 will include also the Award-giving ceremony of the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC grants in green chemistry for young scientists, aiming to support green chemistry solutions and encourage young scientists to get involved in this field. The grants programme is part of the PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC Partnership in Green Chemistry for Life.

Open Science is a burning issue in the scientific community, which is gaining increasing attention by the non-scientific community as well. Innovators, engineers, tech developers, both from private and public sectors are embracing the open science and open innovation concepts. And policy makers and citizens are increasingly embracing the concept of open science as a tool for making science more accessible, the scientific process more inclusive and the outputs of science more readily available.

Thus, Open Science can be a game changer for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in Africa, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries, and Small Island Developing States. UNESCO has a crucial role to play in raising awareness and leading the global dialogue on Open Science, ensuring that Open Science practices meet their potential in bridging the world’s STI gaps.