UNESCO Regional Meeting: Shaping the Future through Science Diplomacy – From Global Dialogue to Regional Action 18-19 Nov 2025
Shaping the Future through Science Diplomacy: From Global Dialogue to Regional Action
Harnessing Science Diplomacy to Address Climate Change, New Technologies, and the Governance of Shared Natural Resources in South-East Europe
Ljubljana, Slovenia, 18-19 November 2025
Building on the Global Ministerial Dialogue and drawing on the European Framework for Science Diplomacy, the Government on Slovenia and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, are convening an expert meeting to delve deeper into how science diplomacy may address priority issues in the region of South-East Europe (SEE).
More specifically, the meeting in Ljubljana aims at operationalizing the broad concepts of science diplomacy into practical action that addresses some of the key challenges for the region while also offering a platform for EU and non-EU countries to exchange good practices and align regional science diplomacy efforts with global priorities.
Specific Objectives
In view of translating global and broader regional science diplomacy frameworks into actionable, context-specific pathways for South-East Europe, the specific objectives of the expert meeting are the following:
1. Identify science diplomacy approaches and practices relevant to combating climate change, ensuring equitable and ethical use of new technologies, and sustainably managing shared natural resources in South-East Europe.
2. Define region-specific recommendations for UNESCO’s future engagement in science diplomacy to support Member States on climate action, new technologies and shared natural resources.
3. Facilitate exchange and build connections among regional experts on existing and potential initiatives, highlighting enabling factors, success stories, and challenges in applying science diplomacy in the region. Discuss pathways for scaling up and sustaining successful science diplomacy practices, ensuring their relevance to both regional cooperation and global agendas such as the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Expected outputs
1. A set of expert recommendations guiding UNESCO’s future engagement in science diplomacy with particular focus on climate action, new technologies, and shared natural resources in South-East Europe.
2. A concise policy brief presenting case studies of successful regional science diplomacy initiatives, highlighting key success factors and challenges and proposing pathways for scaling up and sustaining effective science diplomacy practices in the region.
For more information, please visit the event website: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/shaping-future-through-science-diplomacy-global-dialogue-regional-action?hub=66976