On 25 and 26 March 2025, the CEI-Executive Secretariat (CEI-ES) attended the “Global Ministerial Dialogue on Science Diplomacy”, in Paris at the Headquarters of UNESCO. The programme envisaged a multistakeholder high-level conference and a global ministerial segment. This resulted in the adoption of a statement reaffirming the necessity to reinforce the connection between science and diplomacy, and to invest in Science Diplomacy for the identification of joint solutions to today’s complex challenges.
Back-to-back with the “Global Ministerial Dialogue on Science Diplomacy”, a Workshop on Science Diplomacy Training was held on 27 March. It was organised by the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance (EUSDA) in partnership with UNESCO. During this event, the report “Connecting Science and Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and Southeastern European countries”, elaborated by the University of Trieste in cooperation with the CEI-ES, and funded by the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia in the context of its cooperation with the CEI, was presented to a large audience of Science Diplomacy experts and practitioners.
Both events highlighted the importance of Science Diplomacy in times of intertwined geopolitical crises, global threats and emerging technologies that strongly impact our societies. The CEI has been investigating Science Diplomacy for several years, based on the assumption that Member States can draw significant benefits from this strategic policy tool, as also outlined in the CEI Plan of Action 2024-2026 under goal 2.10, “Boosting research and innovation through science diplomacy”.
Recently, the CEI has contributed to the organisation of transnational events, such as the “1st Conference on Science Diplomacy in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe” (Trieste, 20-21 November 2024) and the workshop “The Role of Science Diplomacy in Water Supplies” (Venice, 21 March 2025). In addition to supporting knowledge exchange and networking between the scientific and diplomatic communities, the CEI has also promoted socio-political research on the state and prospects of Science Diplomacy in its Member States, as well as publications such as the book “Science Diplomacy: Foundations and Practice”.
Based on these achievements, and in line with both the above-mentioned statement and the upcoming EU Science Diplomacy Framework – set for delivery by the end of 2025, as announced by EU Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva during the Paris event – the CEI will continue to promote an open debate and reflection on Science Diplomacy between and among its Member States, thus fostering shared and innovative solutions to the most pressing cross-border challenges.