Prof. Guo Huadong Addresses Critical Role of Digital Technology in Sustainable Development at World Science Forum 2024

At the World Science Forum 2024 (WSF 2024) in Budapest, Hungary, Prof. Guo Huadong, Director-General of the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS), delivered a keynote address emphasizing the crucial role of digital technology in advancing sustainability. The four-day event brought together over 1,200 global experts, researchers, and policymakers to discuss the pressing need for stronger science-policy collaboration during times of transformative global change.

Held under the theme "A Science and Policy Interface and Dialogue at the Time of Global Transformations", WSF 2024 focused on overcoming barriers to effective science-policy-society collaboration. The forum, founded by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), UNESCO, and the International Science Council (ISC), also included partner organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and the European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC). The event concluded with a declaration unanimously endorsed by all organizations, calling for more efficient and creative science-policy interfaces to address urgent global challenges.

Opening remarks were delivered by Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Xing Qu, ISC President Sir Peter Gluckman, and AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh. Xing Qu also read a letter from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, recognizing the forum’s critical role in fostering scientific dialogue and supporting sustainable development.

One of the key sessions, "The Science of Measuring Sustainability: Going Beyond GDP", featured Prof. Guo Huadong as a lead speaker. In his address, Prof. Guo discussed how digital technologies and Big Earth Data can play a transformative role in monitoring and achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He stressed the need for strategies that promote the integration of big data and digital tools into global sustainability efforts.

With less than six years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, Prof. Guo pointed out that progress on many goals has fallen behind. He called for a focus on more achievable and realistic targets, aligned with national priorities, and emphasized the importance of capacity building and infrastructure development to meet these ambitious goals. He also highlighted the potential of digital technologies to improve transparency, foster collaboration, and provide the scientific evidence needed to address critical global issues such as climate change, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss.

The World Science Forum 2024 underscored the need for stronger science-policy interfaces as part of a global effort to confront the complex challenges of our time.

 Prof. Guo Huadong Addresses Critical Role of Digital Technology in Sustainable Development at World Science Forum 2024.