Celebrated every 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights
the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates
on emerging scientific issues. It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.
By linking science more closely with society, World Science Day for Peace and Development aims
to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores the role
scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in
making our societies more sustainable.
The Day offers the opportunity to mobilize all actors around the topic of science
for peace and development – from government officials to the media to school pupils.
UNESCO strongly encourages all to join in celebrating World Science Day for Peace and Development
The objectives of World Science Day for Peace and Development are to:
- Strengthen public awareness on the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies;
- Promote national and international solidarity for shared science between countries;
- Renew national and international commitment for the use of science for the benefit of societies;
- Draw attention to the challenges faced by science and raising support for the scientific endeavor.
2019 Theme: "Open science, leaving no one behind"
Open Science is not only an issue of science being open to the research community, as in “open access”
and “open data” but refers to a science open to society.
In spite of the progress made in recent years, we are still witnessing great disparities across and
within different regions and different countries when it comes to accessing science, technology
and innovation (STI) and enjoying their benefits. To address these disparities and close the existing
STI gaps, Open Science is an important step in the right direction.
Open communication of the scientific data, results, hypotheses and opinions, lie at the very heart of
scientific process. In this context, Open Science is the growing global movement to make
scientific research and data accessible to all.
Open Science has the potential to significantly increase scientific collaboration and discovery and
to facilitate adoption of the well‐adapted technologies. It can be a game changer for achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in Africa, developing countries, and Small Island
Developing States (SIDS).
Let us embrace open science as a tool for making science more accessible, scientific process
more inclusive and the outputs of science more readily available for all!
By linking science more closely with society,
World Science Day for Peace and Development
aims to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science. It also underscores
the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home
and in making our societies more sustainable.
