As recognised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will only be possible with broad-based, robust and sustained economic growth resulting from the development of STI capacities in developing countries. STI also plays a critical role in building and maintaining national competitiveness in the global economy, addressing global challenges and realising sustainable development.

To improve STI capabilities for the achievement of SDGs, a capacity-building initiative was launched by the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) in collaboration with the Government of China during the 20th session of the CSTD in May 2017.

This initiative offers the opportunity for developing country member States to participate in customised training related to STI policies. In this context, workshops were jointly organized by UNCTAD and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) in 2018 and 2019 in China.

With a view to continuing this joint initiative, and given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, UNCTAD and MOST will organise the workshop virtually for a duration of 10 working days, starting on 11 October 2021, each day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (CEST).