Science policy and scientific networking

UNESCO advises its Member States on the formulation of a needs-based science policy and helps set up a central research infrastructure – because science is an important driver for all countries to reduce poverty, create jobs and promote sustainable development.

At international level, UNESCO creates innovative forms of cooperation and exchange of experience among its Member States, by organising the World Science Forum every two years, compiling the UNESCO science report every five years, which extensively examines current global and country-specific trends and developments in higher education and research and innovation. The Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO coordinates the participation of Lithuanian scientists, researchers and science-policy makers at both of the cooperation formats. The Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, the Lithuanian Science Council and the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences are key partners and players in this endeavour.

Together with the World Science Council, UNESCO also publishes the World Report on Social Sciences every three years, most recently in 2016. In 2017, UNESCO published the first Global Ocean Science Report. The UNESCO reports are communicated and highlighted by the National Commission.

The 2017 revised UNESCO Recommendation on Scientists and Scientific Researchers has been widely communicated in the academia and to the science policy makers to take necessary actions for amendments of the national policy instruments.

Lithuania also actively support the UNESCO efforts to draft the Recommendation on Open Science, which is an urgent condition to achieve the implementation of the SDGs by 2030. Cooperation in the creation of scientific knowledge, the sharing of scientific advance and knowledge in the spirit of solidarity and humanism lies at the core of UNESCO’s mission.