Bringing together policymakers, researchers, UN agencies, and practitioners, the event will explore how digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and Earth intelligence can strengthen responses to climate extremes and accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda. The event is endorsed by the UNESCO International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development, supporting coordinated international action to address complex, interconnected challenges through science, innovation, and collaboration.
Event Details - UNECE Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 2026 – Side Event
- Date: 21 April 2026
- Time: 08:30 – 09:45 (CEST)
- Location: Palais des Nations, Geneva & Online
- Register here
- More Information here
About the Event
The UNECE region is increasingly affected by climate extremes, including Arctic warming, heatwaves, droughts, floods, and infrastructure stress, posing risks to water security, energy systems, transport networks and human settlements. Addressing these challenges requires resilient, coordinated digital and physical infrastructure. Digital technologies, such as satellite connectivity, climate data platforms, early warning systems, and smart energy solutions, are critical for climate adaptation and sustainable development. However, uneven infrastructure, governance gaps and limited local capacity constrain their equitable deployment.
This session will examine how digital technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) and Earth intelligence are being applied in climate-extreme contexts to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Agenda. Bringing together policymakers, researchers, UN and International Geneva stakeholders and practitioners, the session will feature expert speakers from across the UN system sharing their work and insights, alongside cutting-edge digital and AI-driven innovation solutions at the science–policy interface. The discussion will focus on scalable, inclusive and actionable solutions aligned with SDGs 9 and 17.
The event will also officially launch a novel Sustainable Digital Technology Readiness Asset-Mapping Framework developed by researchers at Imperial College London and supported by the United Nations, UK Natural Environment Research Council and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office / Department for Science, Innovation and Technology ‘Science & Technology Network’. The Framework will be demonstrated through expert insights and an interactive mapping workshop with attendees.
Partners
This event is organised by:
- Imperial College London
- UK National Commission for UNESCO
- United Nations University-MERIT
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
