Dear co-chairs, excellencies, USG,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

Today, I would like to highlight the European Union's commitment to harnessing science and technology for the effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The European Union is firmly dedicated to the Agenda 2030, by rolling out the Global Gateway – our sustainable development strategy – and by integrating the SDGs into all its policies, proposals, and strategies. At the UN, notably through collaboration with the Inter-Agency Task Team on STI for the SDGs, the EU aims to embed these goals into locally tailored research and innovation agendas. The EU has therefore launched pilot programmes in several countries, notably in Africa, to test and refine tailored STI for SDGs roadmaps, promoting their effective implementation and adaptation. 

A prime example of our commitment is the EU’s Research Framework Programme, currently Horizon Europe, which allocates over 60% of its budget to sustainable development, encouraging international participation to foster innovative solutions that address global challenges.

We also remain committed to the development of trustworthy AI – that is: AI-based innovations that are responsible and verifiable, respectful of human rights, based on ethical principles, and tagged to improving people’s lives.

However, to ensure that science, technology and innovation effectively help us achieve the SDGs, building on our commitment to evidence-informed policy-making, a safe, inclusive, and supportive working environment for researchers and innovators is absolutely indispensable, regardless of their gender, age, sexual orientation or background. 

Excellencies, dear colleagues,

We must acknowledge that academic freedom is under pressure globally, and scientists worldwide are increasingly challenged and instrumentalised. While the EU is not immune to such challenges and backlash, we remain a global leader in academic freedom. And our commitment to freedom of scientific research runs through all our policies, from Horizon Europe to our Pact for Research and Innovation. This is fully in line with the UN Membership’s commitment in the Pact for the Future to protect the autonomy, freedom and safety of scientific researchers.

You can therefore count on the EU to pursue its dedication to protecting academic freedom in international research and innovation cooperation, in order to leverage science and technology to create a sustainable, resilient, and innovative future for all. 

We will continue placing values and ethics at the centre of technology development because, for new and emerging technologies to become competitive and acceptable, public trust is essential.

Thank you.