I am pleased to send my greetings to the Annual Meetings of the Conference of European Schools for Advanced Engineering Education and Research.
Science and technology play a vital role in shaping our collective future. Your universities nurture talent, train and equip the next generation to address global interlinked challenges. From health to climate change, from food to Artificial Intelligence, we need your ideas and energy to advance the common good.
At the United Nations, we are working to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals, reduce inequalities and leave no one behind. We are also taking important steps to transform how we engage with civil society and academia.
My plan for UN 2.0 will put data, digital transformation, innovation, strategic foresight and behavioral science at the heart of what we do.
A new Scientific Advisory Board, with eminent experts on public health, climate, and AI, will regularly engage with the UN leadership and connect with global networks of scientists and academies, especially in developing countries. And I am also appointing a High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence.
Next September’s Summit of the Future will aim to bring new solutions to global challenges, including on science, technology and innovation, digital cooperation, education and youth and future generations. I count on your contribution to these ongoing efforts.
Together, let us harness science and technology to build a more just and sustainable world for all.
António Guterres is Secretary General of the United Nations