The UN's 2022 International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development highlighted the role of fundamental science in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
Key Facts
- Proclaimed by
- 76th UN General Assembly, 2 December 2021
- Opening ceremony
- UNESCO headquarters, Paris, 8 July 2022
- Closing ceremony
- CERN, Geneva, 15 December 2023
- Steering Committee lead
- IUPAP and 28 other science unions
- Supporting organizations
- Over 80 organizations including national academies
- Follow-on initiative
- International Decade of Sciences 2024–2033
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Recognizing that basic sciences underpin advances in medicine, agriculture, energy, and communications, and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, IUPAP and allied organizations campaigned from 2017 to secure a UN General Assembly proclamation designating 2022 as an international year dedicated to fundamental science.
The 76th UN General Assembly proclaimed 2022 the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development, with UNESCO as lead agency. An official opening was held in Paris on 8 July 2022, and a closing ceremony at CERN in Geneva on 15 December 2023 extended the observance six months beyond its original scope, including flagship events in Vietnam and Serbia.
The year raised global awareness of basic science's contribution to sustainable development and led directly to the UN General Assembly proclaiming 2024–2033 the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development, institutionalizing longer-term international commitment to science-led progress toward the SDGs.