第7回STIフォーラムにおける木村大使ステートメント（STI4SDGロードマップに関する特別セッション）

Thank you, Professor KAWAI, for giving me the floor. I would also like to thank the panelists for sharing their valuable experiences on the ground.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens global efforts to accelerate progress toward achieving the SDGs. At the same time, it offers an opportunity to build back better toward a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future. That is why now is the perfect time for Member States and other various partners to develop STI4SDGs Roadmaps which link to their national action plans, as well as bilateral and multilateral development supports.
 
Japan has been actively supporting the Global Pilot Programme on STI4SDGs Roadmap under the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM). In the course of our support, we have noticed some common challenges in the pilot countries, such as lack of data, stakeholder engagement, and funding for development. To avoid such issues, it is important to involve various stakeholders at the local, national, and global levels from an early stage through awareness raising and capacity building on STI for SDGs and its Roadmaps.
 
Regarding capacity building, Japan warmly welcomes the launch by UNDESA and UNITAR of the new e-learning course entitled, “Develop and Implement Science, Technology and Innovation for SDGs Roadmaps – Level I” in April of this year. The course is based on well-understood scenarios, and talks about the development process of a new STI4SDGs Roadmap for a fictional country with multi-stakeholder engagement. We encourage not only national officials but all partners to take this course in order to understand or refresh their knowledge about STI4SDGs Roadmaps. Furthermore, we look forward to a new series of e-learning courses, this time focusing on the implementation and monitoring phases and international cooperation.
 
Distinguished participants,
 
Lastly, we would like to call for your support for the Partnership in Action. The Partnership in Action is as a multi-stakeholder, informal technical group to strengthen the development and implementation of the STI4SDGs Roadmaps in the context of the TFM. It aims to create political momentum, promote practical solutions, and mobilize public and multi-stakeholder engagement. Japan fully supports the idea of this group and hopes that other partners will join us.
 
I thank you.