Commission on Science and Technology for Development

The United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is the United Nations’ home for discussions on science and technology – what is new, what matters, what is changing, what the impact is – and how this affects development and a sustainable future for all. It is the forum that helps ask and frame the critical issues influencing the fields of science and technology today. Some of the important normative issues raised include the technology and life interface, as well as governance of the use and development of frontier technologies – namely, big data analytics, biotech and genome editing, the Internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence. The CSTD is also an open platform where proposals, ideas, experiences, cases, and intellectual thought can be channeled toward making a policy impact. It facilitates concrete collaborations between member states, NGOs and actors in the science, technology and development space.