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Issue No. 21 | Monday, September 7, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

Governments and experts gather in Kunming, China, on Monday for three days of discussions examining collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, beginning a new stage in the first global review of the agreement adopted in 2022.

The framework established 23 targets for 2030, covering everything from ecosystem restoration and protected areas to pollution, finance and the sustainable use of biodiversity. But setting global targets was only the beginning. Governments now have to determine collectively how much progress has been made and where efforts remain insufficient.

The Kunming Dialogue is part of that process. Countries agreed at COP16, held at Cali, Colombia, in 2024, that the global review would be led by governments, supported by an informal technical dialogue bringing together national representatives with Indigenous peoples and local communities, scientists, women and youth representatives, businesses, financial institutions and other experts.

Delegates will also confront the lagging progress of the Cali Fund, which was created at COP16 to convert private corporate profits into public conservation projects in developing countries. Its certified financial statement shows that in 2025 it received just $1,000 from a single donor, the U.K.-based startup TierraViva AI.

That makes the meeting an important interface between evidence and diplomacy. Scientific assessments and national reports can show changes in ecosystems, financing or conservation efforts, but governments must decide how that evidence should be interpreted collectively and what it means for the commitments they made.

The dialogue also brings the biodiversity framework back to the city where its political architecture began taking shape. The first part of COP15 was held in Kunming in 2021 before negotiations concluded the following year in Montreal with adoption of the Kunming-Montreal framework.

The meeting follows biodiversity negotiations in Nairobi this summer that examined the first global assessment of progress and warned that current efforts remain insufficient to achieve the framework’s 2030 mission.

Kunming now moves that process forward: from establishing what the evidence says toward determining what countries should collectively make of it.

Elsewhere this week, governments and other participants gather in Baku for a U.N. Climate Week intended to build momentum toward COP31, while the IPCC convenes its first expert meeting specifically devoted to water and climate change.

The U.N. Human Rights Council opens a month-long session in Geneva on Monday, with environmental health, water, climate finance and nuclear legacies among the issues that will intersect with its broader human rights agenda.

The 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly opens in New York on Tuesday, beginning a month that will culminate in high-level meetings on climate action, sea-level rise and pandemic preparedness alongside the annual general debate. The general debate begins Sept. 22.

And toward the end of the week, leaders of the expanded BRICS grouping are expected to meet in New Delhi, with innovation, resilience and sustainability among the priorities.

Major processes to watch

China — Kunming Dialogue examines collective progress on biodiversity

Countries meet in Kunming through Wednesday for an informal technical dialogue supporting the first global review of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The process brings governments together with scientists, Indigenous peoples and local communities, businesses, finance and other participants to consider collective progress toward the framework’s 2030 targets.

The important question is what the accumulated evidence says about progress at the global level — and how that assessment should shape the next stage of international biodiversity policy.

Azerbaijan — Climate Week builds toward COP31

Governments, international organizations, businesses and other participants gather in Baku for the second U.N. Climate Week of 2026, intended to connect decisions taken through the formal climate negotiations with action on the ground.

The Sept. 7–11 meeting will focus on turning international climate decisions into practical action while generating targeted input for COP31, which opens in Antalya, Turkey, in November.

The meeting provides an intermediate stage between formal negotiating sessions: a place to identify obstacles involving finance, capacity, data and implementation before governments return to the negotiating table later this year.

Geneva — Space security moves from threats to verification

UNIDIR brings governments, researchers, industry and defense experts together on Tuesday and Wednesday as a growing reliance on satellites and the blurred boundary between civilian and military space systems raises new questions about stability in orbit.

Discussions range from threats to space infrastructure and strategic orbital capabilities to current negotiations on preventing an arms race in outer space. One particularly important question is whether sophisticated space-surveillance technologies can do more than prevent collisions: could they eventually help governments verify agreements or monitor compliance with norms of behavior?

The meeting also examines another emerging governance problem: private companies now operate infrastructure and generate data with strategic significance, complicating traditional assumptions about responsibility, neutrality and targetability in conflict.

Sri Lanka — IPCC turns to water in shaping its next climate assessment

The IPCC and International Water Management Institute convene about 60 experts in Colombo for the first IPCC expert meeting specifically devoted to advancing the science of water and climate change.

The Sept. 8–10 meeting will examine the current state of knowledge, identify research priorities and gaps, and generate evidence that could inform the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report. The discussions will consider water’s role in climate adaptation, resilience and risk, including the cascading and transboundary consequences of changes in water availability and distribution.

Participants will also develop a synthesis report on water, climate resilience, adaptation and equity. The work connects preparation of the next global climate assessment with wider international discussions over water security and governance.

UNGA watch — The 81st session opens

The 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly opens Tuesday, beginning the institutional run-up to high-level week.

The major political activity comes later: the general debate begins Sept. 22, alongside high-level meetings later that month on climate action, sea-level rise, pandemic preparedness and nuclear weapons.

Plastics treaty watch — Informal consultations continue

Heads of delegation to the negotiations for a global agreement on plastic pollution meet virtually Tuesday and Wednesday as efforts continue to find a path through unresolved differences in the treaty process.

The discussions are part of a series of informal meetings leading toward INC-5.4, scheduled for March 2027. The negotiating committee’s chair has proposed consultations every four to six weeks on priority areas, the roadmap and how the process should proceed.

The meeting does not represent a return to formal negotiations, but it provides another indication of whether governments can narrow differences before they do.

Security Council watch — Iran dispute leaves nuclear oversight in limbo

The Security Council returns to Iran’s nuclear program Thursday amid a deeper dispute over whether the sanctions committee it is scheduled to discuss legally exists.

France, the U.K., the U.S. and other Council members maintain that U.N. sanctions and the 1737 Committee were restored after European countries invoked the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism last year. China and Russia reject that interpretation and argue that the sanctions expired in October 2025. The disagreement has left the committee without an agreed chair and prevented its Panel of Experts from becoming operational.

The institutional paralysis comes as international nuclear monitoring has also been impaired. The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has lost continuity of knowledge across Iran’s declared nuclear facilities and cannot account for the size or whereabouts of the country’s enriched-uranium stockpile.

The dispute has spread beyond the Iran file, contributing to an unprecedented delay in appointing chairs for Security Council subsidiary bodies and constraining the work of sanctions committees and other oversight mechanisms.

Separately, members are expected to continue discussing a Greek-drafted resolution on the impact of digital technologies on violations against children in armed conflict, bringing questions of technology governance into the Council’s established children-and-armed-conflict agenda.

Signals

• The biodiversity framework is moving into a different test: not setting global targets, but determining collectively whether the evidence shows countries are on course to meet them.

• Water is moving closer to the center of the next IPCC assessment as scientists examine how changes in the hydrological cycle cascade through food, ecosystems, economies and adaptation.

• Climate diplomacy between COPs includes meetings designed to connect negotiated decisions with the practical obstacles governments face in carrying them out.

• Improved space surveillance could become part of the verification architecture for future international rules governing activity in orbit.

On the calendar

Sept. 7–8 — Minamata Convention Implementation and Compliance Committee (Virtual)
The treaty’s compliance body reviews implementation issues as new national reporting feeds into the first evaluation of whether the Minamata Convention is proving effective. → Meeting information

Sept. 7–9 — Kunming Dialogue 2026 (Kunming, China)
Countries and other participants examine collective progress toward the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework as part of preparations for its global review. → Meeting information

Sept. 7–11 — U.N. Climate Week (Baku, Azerbaijan)
Governments and other participants work on translating international climate decisions into action and generating input for COP31 in November. → Meeting information

Sept. 7–Oct. 7 — U.N. Human Rights Council, 63rd session (Geneva)
The Council opens a month-long session spanning global human rights crises alongside issues including hazardous substances and wastes, water and sanitation, climate finance and the human rights consequences of nuclear legacies. → Meeting information

Sept. 8 — U.N. General Assembly 81st session opens (New York)
The General Assembly begins its annual session ahead of the general debate and a series of high-level meetings later in September. → Meeting information

Sept. 8–9 — Plastics treaty heads-of-delegation meeting (Virtual)
Negotiators hold informal consultations on the roadmap toward the next formal session of negotiations on a global agreement on plastic pollution. → Meeting information

Sept. 8–9 — UNIDIR Outer Space Security Conference (Geneva)
Governments, researchers and industry experts examine threats to space systems, strategic stability, efforts to prevent an arms race in outer space and technologies for monitoring and verifying activity in orbit. → Program

Sept. 8–10 — IPCC-IWMI Expert Meeting on Water and Climate Change (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
About 60 experts identify research gaps and priorities on water, climate risk, adaptation and resilience that could inform the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report. → Meeting information

Sept. 12–13 — BRICS Summit (New Delhi)
Leaders are expected to discuss cooperation spanning innovation, AI, digital infrastructure, climate, energy, health and economic resilience. → Schedule

Aug. 10–Oct. 2 — IPCC Working Group I First Order Draft expert review (Global)
Experts continue reviewing the first draft of the physical science contribution to the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report. → Review information

Closing

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Issue No. 20 | Monday, August 31, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

Governments return to Geneva on Monday for a final week of expert talks on lethal autonomous weapons systems as pressure grows to turn more than a decade of international discussion into negotiations over legally binding rules.

The meeting comes days after U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric renewed their call for international rules, warning that advances in autonomous weapons are bringing the world “dangerously close to crossing a moral red line”: machines autonomously targeting human beings.

The technology, they argue, is moving faster than diplomacy. Autonomous capabilities are becoming cheaper, more accessible and easier to incorporate into existing weapons, increasing pressure to establish international rules before potentially harmful practices become entrenched.

But the meeting beginning Monday cannot itself negotiate a new treaty. The Group of Governmental Experts operating under the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons is authorized only to develop elements that could eventually form the basis of an international instrument. Its current mandate ends with this week’s session.

That puts the diplomatic question ahead of the technical one. Governments have spent more than a decade examining autonomous weapons while the systems themselves have continued to advance. The question now is whether countries are prepared to move from discussing the elements of possible rules toward actually negotiating them.

The U.N. and ICRC are advocating a two-tier approach. They want prohibitions on autonomous weapons that have effects that cannot be adequately predicted, and on systems designed or used to directly target people. Other autonomous weapons would face restrictions involving the targets they can engage, where and for how long they can operate, and the scale of force they can use.

Human control remains at the center of that debate. The problem is particularly acute when weapons target people because an individual’s legal status can change rapidly on a battlefield: a combatant who surrenders or is wounded, for example, becomes protected from attack.

This week’s meeting serves as a bridge to a potentially more consequential decision in November, when countries meet for the convention’s five-year Review Conference and could decide whether to launch formal negotiations.

Elsewhere, the United Nations launches a major report on sea-level rise during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, while governments and the technology sector gather in The Bahamas for a major ITU forum on global digital policy.

In Geneva, health and technology experts also examine how digital health credentials can move securely across national borders.

Major processes to watch

Autonomous weapons — Final expert session tests the path toward negotiations

Government experts meet through Friday for the second and final session of their 2026 mandate, working from a rolling text intended to identify elements that could eventually form the basis of an international instrument.

UNIDIR will also use battlefield scenarios to test how international humanitarian law applies to autonomous weapons. The immediate question is what governments can agree to carry forward before the CCW Review Conference later this year.

Pacific — Rising seas move from climate science into international law

The United Nations launches a major report on sea-level rise Monday during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau, bringing together scientific evidence with increasingly difficult questions about finance, displacement, sovereignty and international law.

Nearly 770 million people live in coastal areas less than five meters above the high-tide line. The report says sea-level rise is accelerating while gaps in observation networks, coastal mapping and scientific capacity are limiting the ability of countries to forecast impacts and plan for them.

Some of the hardest questions concern what happens when rising seas alter territory itself. Governments are confronting how to preserve statehood, nationality and maritime boundaries if islands become uninhabitable or submerged, alongside protections for people forced to relocate.

The report points to possible next steps ranging from a General Assembly declaration to a dedicated international treaty or other new legal frameworks for sea-level rise. Its recommendations will feed into further international discussions, including a U.N. high-level meeting on sea-level rise in September.

The Bahamas — ITU forum looks for common ground on digital policy

Governments, technology companies, researchers, civil society and the technical community gather in Nassau for the International Telecommunication Union’s World Telecommunication/ICT Policy Forum.

A Strategic Dialogue on Tuesday precedes the formal forum from Wednesday through Friday. Discussions will span connectivity, sustainability, resilience, space, innovation and emerging technologies.

Unlike a treaty negotiation, WTPF does not produce binding rules. Its role is to exchange views and build consensus on major digital-policy questions, with the resulting opinions intended to help shape discussions at the ITU’s forthcoming Plenipotentiary Conference.

That makes Nassau an agenda-setting stage in the larger process of international technology governance: governments are trying to identify areas of agreement before making decisions about the ITU’s future direction.

Geneva — Digital health systems confront the problem of crossing borders

Government officials, international organizations, technical experts and companies meet in Geneva for the Global Digital Collaboration Conference, with WHO focusing on how health information can move securely and reliably between countries.

A central issue is the development of secure and portable digital health wallets. Discussions will examine governance, technical standards, interoperability and trust frameworks needed to allow credentials such as immunization records and professional certifications to be verified across different health systems.

The infrastructure is already operating at significant scale. WHO says its Global Digital Health Certification Network connects more than 80 countries and nearly 2 billion people.

The challenge now is not simply digitizing health records, but establishing the technical and institutional trust required for countries to recognize one another’s digital credentials.

Security Council watch — AI enters the conflict-prevention debate

The U.N. Security Council turns to artificial intelligence on Wednesday in an informal dialogue examining how the technology could be used in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

The discussion, organized by Bahrain, France, Greece and Latvia, will examine the use of AI in moving from early warning to conflict resolution. Experts from the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research, the U.N. Department of Peace Operations and Security Council Report are expected to brief.

The meeting comes as the Council is already confronting technology from several other directions. Members continue discussing a proposed resolution on the impact of digital technologies on violations against children in armed conflict, while Thursday’s agenda returns to chemical weapons in Syria.

Separately, the Yemen sanctions committee is expected Monday to examine reports on dual-use components and precursor chemicals and on strengthening information-sharing and flag-state capacity to stop vessels suspected of carrying weapons or related material to Yemen.

Signals

• The autonomous-weapons debate is approaching a procedural test: governments have spent years developing possible rules but still need to decide whether to negotiate them.

• Sea-level rise is beginning to challenge assumptions embedded in international law about territory, maritime boundaries and even the continuity of nations.

• Cross-border digital health depends on countries trusting one another’s technical systems, not simply adopting compatible technology.

• ITU’s policy forum shows how international technology governance can take shape through consensus-building before governments reach formal decisions.

On the calendar

Aug. 31 — U.N. Sea-Level Rise Report (Palau)
The United Nations launches a new assessment of the scientific, financial and legal challenges posed by rising seas during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. → Report

Aug. 31–Sept. 4 — Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems GGE (Geneva)
Government experts hold the final session of their current mandate to develop elements that could form the basis of international rules on autonomous weapons. → Overview

Sept. 1–3 — Global Digital Collaboration Conference (Geneva)
WHO and partners examine trusted digital systems, including standards and interoperability for health credentials that can work across borders. → Agenda

Sept. 1–4 — ITU Strategic Dialogue and WTPF-26 (Nassau, The Bahamas)
Governments and the technology sector discuss connectivity, resilience, sustainability, space, innovation and emerging technologies ahead of the ITU’s forthcoming Plenipotentiary Conference. → Program

Sept. 3 — WMO El Niño update (Geneva)
The World Meteorological Organization provides its latest assessment of El Niño conditions and outlook. → El Niño/La Niña Updates

Sept. 1–4 — UNSGM workshop (Geneva)
Experts meet at the Palais des Nations for a workshop on the U.N. secretary-general’s mechanism for investigating alleged use of chemical, biological and toxin weapons. → Timetable

Aug. 10–Oct. 2 — IPCC Working Group I First Order Draft expert review (Global)
Experts continue reviewing the first draft of the physical-science contribution to the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report. → Review information

Closing

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Issue No. 19 | Monday, August 24, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

Governments gather in Geneva on Monday for the 12th Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty, opening a week of negotiations that will look beyond the mechanics of regulating international weapons transfers toward a more fundamental question: how should countries measure whether the treaty is actually achieving its purpose?

More than a decade after the ATT entered into force, nations that are party to the treaty are developing a five-year strategy intended to establish priorities, indicators and ways of tracking progress. But the process is also exposing gaps in the architecture used to evaluate the treaty itself. The draft strategy is scheduled for formal discussion on Thursday.

Unlike several other international conventional-arms agreements, the ATT has no dedicated periodic review conference. Its annual meetings examine implementation through working groups on treaty implementation, transparency and reporting, and universalization, but consultations convened by the U.N. Institute for Disarmament Research and Panama found that important aspects of implementation are not being systematically assessed.

Among them is the treaty’s ability to respond to technological change. The ATT requires its member nations to review developments in conventional arms, yet no mechanism currently does so systematically. Researchers point to changes involving weapons components, technology transfers and knowledge shared through joint and licensed production as areas where gaps in national regulation could emerge.

One proposal would use countries’ existing reports as the basis for voluntary peer reviews aimed at identifying gaps, assistance needs and best practices.

The question takes on added significance this week as researchers begin an initiative intended to produce the first comprehensive evaluation of the ATT’s impact on national transfer controls, efforts to prevent weapons diversion and international cooperation.

The conference week also brings the release of the ATT Monitor’s 2026 assessment of treaty implementation, including analysis of national reporting and how governments assess risks involving explosive weapons in populated areas.

The broader question is whether an international regime designed to make the global arms trade more responsible has the institutional machinery to determine whether it is succeeding—and to adapt as weapons and the arms trade change.

Major processes to watch

Arms Trade Treaty — CSP12 looks toward the treaty’s next five years

Member nations meet through Friday, with attention turning from the opening general debate to diversion, transparency, international assistance and the proposed five-year strategy. The question to watch is whether countries begin building more systematic ways to measure the treaty’s performance or leave those questions to future meetings.

Mongolia — COP17 moves from local demands to high-level negotiations

The U.N. desertification summit enters its final week after mayors and regional leaders adopted the Ulaanbaatar Declaration, calling for a stronger role for local governments in global land policy. The declaration is due to feed into the conference’s high-level discussions.

Attention now moves to ministers. Monday’s high-level segment includes a dialogue on innovative financing for healthy land and drought resilience, while Wednesday brings a ministerial dialogue on restoring rangelands and supporting pastoral communities.

That creates a useful second-week question for the Playbook: whether demands for more local authority, better measurement and greater access to finance make their way into the decisions governments take before COP17 closes on Friday.

Geneva — Experts update the rules for dangerous goods on Europe’s waterways

Government and technical experts meet at the Palais des Nations to review the international rules governing the transport of dangerous goods on inland waterways.

The ADN Safety Committee will consider implementation and interpretation of the agreement, special authorizations and derogations, expert training, classification societies and amendments to its technical regulations.

It is the quieter side of science diplomacy: governments converting technical expertise on safety, materials and transportation into common rules that allow hazardous cargo to cross national borders.

Security Council watch — Food security returns to the peace and security agenda

The Security Council holds a high-level debate on Tuesday on the role of conflict in driving global and local food crises, bringing food security back into discussions of international peace and security.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and the World Food Program are expected to brief as Council members examine how warfare disrupts food production, supply chains and humanitarian access, and what role the Council can play in reducing those effects.

The debate comes during a week in which the Council will also address the humanitarian consequences of the conflict in Sudan and developments in the Middle East, Syria and Lebanon. Members are separately expected to continue discussing a draft resolution on the impact of digital technologies on violations against children in armed conflict.

Signals

• Measuring a treaty’s effectiveness requires different tools from monitoring whether countries comply with its rules.

• International arms-control regimes face a recurring problem when technology changes what can be transferred faster than governments update what they regulate.

• Cities and regions are challenging the national-government bottleneck in land-restoration finance by seeking more direct access to funding.

• Cross-border safety rules depend on continual technical revision, from how dangerous goods are classified to when governments permit exemptions.

On the calendar

Aug. 24–28 — Arms Trade Treaty CSP12 (Geneva)
Member nations review implementation of the treaty and consider a proposed five-year strategy, alongside new work evaluating its overall impact. → Program

Aug. 24–28 — ADN Safety Committee, 48th session (Geneva)
Experts review and update international regulations governing dangerous goods transported on inland waterways. → Agenda

Aug. 17–28 — UNCCD COP17 (Ulaanbaatar)
The desertification summit enters its high-level and concluding week, with ministers addressing land finance, drought resilience, rangelands and pastoral communities. → Program

Aug. 10–Oct. 2 — IPCC Working Group I First Order Draft expert review (Global)
Experts continue reviewing the first draft of the physical-science contribution to the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report. → Review information

Closing

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Issue No. 18 | Monday, August 17, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

The world's overlooked land treaty moves into the spotlight.

Governments gather in Ulaanbaatar on Monday for COP17 of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, opening two weeks of negotiations over a resource that sits beneath many of the world’s most pressing environmental and development challenges: land.

Up to 40% of the world’s land is already degraded, affecting food production, water supplies, livelihoods and economic stability. The talks will bring together the convention’s 197 Parties alongside scientists, Indigenous peoples, pastoralists, farmers, businesses and civil society to address land restoration, drought resilience, rangelands, food systems and soil health.

The meeting shows how broadly the land agenda now reaches across environmental and development policy. COP17 will examine science-policy integration, technologies and financing while linking degradation and drought to food and water security, migration and political stability.

Mongolia gives those negotiations an unusually tangible setting. Nearly 77% of its territory is affected by degradation, while its vast rangelands support pastoral livelihoods that depend directly on the health of the ecosystems governments are trying to protect and restore.

COP17 also takes place during the U.N. International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, putting greater attention on ecosystems that cover more than half the Earth’s land surface and directly support the livelihoods of roughly 500 million people.

The conference is the first of the three Rio Convention COPs taking place in 2026, ahead of the biodiversity and climate meetings later this year, giving Ulaanbaatar an early opportunity to test how governments connect land, biodiversity and climate policy rather than treating them as separate negotiating tracks.

Major processes to watch

UNCCD — COP17 puts land degradation at the center of environmental diplomacy

Governments gather in Ulaanbaatar for COP17 of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, opening two weeks of negotiations on land degradation, drought, restoration and the future of the world’s rangelands.

Held during the U.N. International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, the conference will examine how science, financing, technology and local knowledge can support land restoration and resilience. Mongolia gives the negotiations a particularly relevant setting: its vast rangelands support pastoral communities while facing substantial pressures from degradation, biodiversity loss and climate change.

The meeting also gives the often less-visible third Rio Convention an opportunity to connect land policy more directly with the climate and biodiversity agendas.

Germany — IJCAI-ECAI brings the global AI research community to Bremen

Thousands of AI researchers gather in Bremen for the 35th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, held jointly this year with the European Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Workshops and tutorials began over the weekend, with the main conference running Tuesday through Friday.

The program ranges across frontier AI research while devoting dedicated tracks to human-centered AI, AI for social good, health, robotics and the use of AI to enable other critical technologies. Research on privacy, security, fairness and ethics also features in the conference’s workshops and tutorials.

IPCC — Expert scrutiny of AR7 continues

The first expert review of the Working Group I contribution to the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report enters its second week.

Scientists worldwide are examining the draft assessment of the physical science of climate change for accuracy, balance, clarity and comprehensiveness. The review continues through Oct. 2 before the report advances through subsequent stages of the IPCC assessment process.

Security Council watch — Technology, climate and succession

Several processes outside the Security Council’s formal meeting schedule intersect with science, technology and governance this week.

Council members are expected to continue negotiations on a Greek-drafted resolution addressing the impact of digital technologies on violations against children in armed conflict. An informal expert group on climate, peace and security also meets Thursday to examine the Horn of Africa.

Meanwhile, the selection of the next U.N. secretary-general moves forward. Council members meet candidate Olara Otunnu on Thursday before conducting their second confidential straw poll on Friday, providing another indication of support among the candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres.

Signals

• LLand degradation is gaining greater visibility as a problem connecting climate, biodiversity, food security and development policy.

• AI research is expanding into domains where questions of public interest, accountability and governance are becoming part of the scientific agenda itself.

• Climate and security are becoming more closely connected within institutions whose mandates were not originally designed around environmental change.

• The Security Council’s consideration of digital technologies and children in armed conflict shows how technology governance is spreading into established areas of international law and security.

On the calendar

Aug. 10–Oct. 2 — IPCC Working Group I First Order Draft expert review (Global)
Experts worldwide review the first draft of the physical-science contribution to the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report. → Review information

Aug. 15–21 — IJCAI-ECAI 2026 (Bremen, Germany)
The global AI research community gathers for the 35th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, with special tracks spanning human-centered AI, AI for social good, health, robotics and critical technologies. The main technical program runs Aug. 18–21. → Program

Aug. 17–28 — UNCCD COP17 (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Governments meet for the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification’s biennial conference, focusing on land degradation, restoration, drought resilience and the world’s rangelands. → Overview

Closing

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Issue No. 17 | Monday, August 10, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

The next global climate assessment enters a critical stage.

On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change opens the First Order Draft of the Working Group I contribution to its Seventh Assessment Report to expert review, beginning a nearly two-month process of scrutiny of the scientific foundation for the world’s next major assessment of climate change.

Experts from around the world will be invited to examine the draft for accuracy, balance, clarity and comprehensiveness, identify relevant scientific literature and propose revisions. It is the first formal review stage before the Working Group I assessment is eventually completed.

“Expert review is a cornerstone of the IPCC assessment process. The diverse knowledge, perspectives and expertise provided by reviewers help strengthen the scientific quality, policy relevance and credibility of our reports,” said applied meteorology expert Xiaoye Zhang, who co-chairs Working Group I.

The process offers an unusually clear view into how scientific authority is constructed internationally. IPCC assessments are not simply written by scientists and presented to governments. Drafts undergo successive rounds of expert and government review, with comments considered and documented before reports are approved and released.

That architecture has helped make the IPCC one of the most consequential interfaces between science and international policy. Its assessments inform national climate policies and international negotiations, including the global stocktake under the Paris Agreement.

The review beginning this week concerns the physical science basis of climate change: observed and projected large-scale changes, climate processes and feedbacks, and regional climate information. The eventual Working Group I report will form part of the Seventh Assessment Report, with its synthesis report scheduled for release by late 2029.

Elsewhere, the international AI research community gathers in South Korea for KDD 2026, bringing together researchers and industry around advances in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

And in Nairobi, negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity enter their final days as governments consider how to accelerate progress toward the 2030 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Major processes to watch

IPCC — Expert review begins for the next climate assessment

The First Order Draft of the Working Group I contribution to the Seventh Assessment Report opens for expert review on Monday.

Experts will examine the assessment’s treatment of the physical science of climate change through Oct. 2. Reviewers can comment on its accuracy, balance and comprehensiveness, suggest scientific literature and recommend revisions before the draft moves into subsequent stages of the IPCC assessment process.

The exercise is a central part of the institutional machinery through which the IPCC establishes the scientific foundation used by governments in climate policymaking and international negotiations.

South Korea — KDD puts AI’s expanding role in science on display

Researchers and industry leaders gather in Jeju for KDD 2026, one of the major international conferences in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

This year’s meeting introduces a dedicated AI for Sciences track, bringing AI methods into fields ranging from climate and environmental science to health, materials science and physics. The broader program also includes work on responsible AI, privacy, fairness and algorithmic accountability, alongside sessions examining the next generation of AI development.

The meeting offers a view of the research frontier shaping international debates over AI governance—and of AI’s rapidly expanding role within science itself.

Convention on Biological Diversity — Nairobi talks enter their final days

Governments conclude two weeks of negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity on Wednesday.

Following scientific and technical discussions in the first week, the Subsidiary Body on Implementation is considering financing, capacity-building, biodiversity mainstreaming and other measures intended to accelerate progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The meetings feed directly into preparations for COP17 in Yerevan in October, where governments will conduct the first global review of progress since adopting the framework in 2022.

Middle East — Hormuz talks advance but shipping crisis persists

Iran and Oman say talks over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz have reached their final stages, including plans for a new shipping route through the strategic waterway. But the negotiations have yet to produce a reopening of the strait. The U.S. military says it has now redirected 55 commercial vessels away from Iranian ports under its naval blockade, while Tehran says there is no possibility of restarting direct negotiations with Washington under current conditions.

The diplomatic opening comes as the regional conflict continues to spread. Houthi forces have claimed new attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and Yemeni government positions, while Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan have signed a mutual-defense pact that treats an attack on one as an attack on all.

Security Council watch — Middle East and Red Sea return to focus

Strategic waterways remain in focus at the Security Council this week as tensions surrounding the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz continue.

On Tuesday, the Council holds a briefing on the Middle East focused on escalating violence in the West Bank. On Thursday, U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher are expected to brief on Yemen, followed by closed consultations.

Council members are also expected to continue closely following developments involving Iran and Lebanon and disruption to navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The Yemen meeting comes as Houthi attacks and threats to shipping have renewed concerns about security in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab.

Signals

• The IPCC review process illustrates how international scientific authority is built through repeated scrutiny rather than a single act of expert consensus.

• AI is becoming scientific infrastructure as well as an object of governance, extending deeper into fields from climate science and health to physics and materials research.

• The biodiversity negotiations move from diagnosing inadequate progress toward the harder question of what governments are prepared to change before 2030.

• The Hormuz talks show how technical arrangements can become channels for diplomacy even while the larger political conflict remains unresolved.

On the calendar

Aug. 9–13 — KDD 2026 (Jeju, South Korea)
Researchers and industry specialists gather for a major international conference on data science and AI, including a new track devoted to AI for scientific discovery. → Program

Aug. 10 — Diplomacy Day, Locarno Film Festival (Locarno, Switzerland)
Diplomats, academics, civil society and cultural figures examine how culture and cross-sector partnerships can contribute to international cooperation. → Program

Aug. 10–Oct. 2 — IPCC Working Group I First Order Draft expert review (Global)
Experts worldwide review the first draft of the physical-science contribution to the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report. → Review information

July 27–Aug. 12 — Convention on Biological Diversity (Nairobi)
Parties conclude two weeks of deliberations centered on the first global assessment of progress against the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. → Agenda

Closing

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Issue No. 16 | Monday, August 3, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

Europe's AI Act enters a new phase as biodiversity, diplomacy and space shape the week ahead.

Key provisions of the European Union's AI Act took effect on Saturday, ushering in a new phase of enforcement. The law will continue to be implemented in stages over the coming months and years, but the European Commission's AI Office and national authorities now assume new responsibilities for overseeing general-purpose AI models and implementing new transparency requirements.

Providers of certain AI systems must now meet new obligations, including requirements affecting chatbots and AI-generated content. The Commission also begins enforcing rules covering providers of general-purpose AI models, supported by a new scientific panel and a suite of complaint and whistleblower mechanisms intended to strengthen oversight.

The milestone marks the point at which Europe's AI framework begins to be tested in practice, not simply on paper. Although the law applies within the European Union, its influence is expected to extend well beyond Europe as companies adapt products and compliance systems for one of the world’s largest digital markets.

Elsewhere this week, governments are reviewing progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework in Nairobi. Delegates are examining the first global assessment of implementation since the framework was adopted in 2022, a draft report that concludes current efforts remain insufficient to achieve its 2030 goals despite unprecedented international engagement.

In Hanoi, Vietnam convenes a national conference highlighting science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as central elements of its diplomatic and development strategy, illustrating how governments are treating science and technology as instruments of statecraft rather than simply research policy.

Meanwhile, thousands of scientists are meeting in Florence for the Committee on Space Research’s Scientific Assembly, one of the world’s largest international meetings on space science.

Major processes to watch

European Union — AI Act enforcement begins

The European Commission begins enforcing key provisions of the Artificial Intelligence Act, including transparency obligations for certain AI systems and oversight responsibilities for providers of general-purpose AI models. The AI Office assumes a central enforcement role alongside national competent authorities.

Vietnam — Science diplomacy moves higher on the national agenda

Vietnam convenes a national conference examining science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as pillars of national development and international engagement.

The meeting reflects a broader trend among emerging economies to integrate science and technology more directly into foreign policy and economic strategy.

Florence — COSPAR opens one of the world’s largest space science meetings

Scientists, space agencies and international organizations gather in Florence for the 46th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR).

The meeting spans planetary science, Earth observation, heliophysics, astrophysics, space sustainability and exploration, providing one of the world’s principal forums linking international scientific collaboration with space policy.

Convention on Biological Diversity — Nairobi shifts to implementation

Negotiators shift from last week's scientific discussions to implementation, financing and institutional questions as the Subsidiary Body on Implementation begins its work.

Central to this week's meetings is the first global assessment of progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The draft review concludes that while countries have generated unprecedented engagement since 2022, implementation remains insufficient to achieve the framework’s 2030 mission without substantially faster progress.

Inside institutions

African Union — Peace and Security Council sets August agenda

Algeria assumes the rotating chairship of the African Union Peace and Security Council this month with a program emphasizing conflict prevention, early warning, governance and coordination with the U.N. Security Council. The Council is expected to address education in conflict, the Sahel, Sudan, South Sudan and continental risk assessment while preparing for an Extraordinary AU Summit on strengthening conflict prevention later this month.

European Commission — AI Office begins enforcement

The Commission’s AI Office starts supervising providers of general-purpose AI models while coordinating with national authorities responsible for enforcing many provisions of the AI Act.

Convention on Biological Diversity — Review continues

Negotiators continue examining financing, implementation, biodiversity mainstreaming and other recommendations that will shape negotiations at COP17 in Armenia later this year.

Security Council watch — New presidency, secretary-general race continues

Denmark begins its presidency of the Security Council by presenting the August program of work on Monday. The Council’s public agenda this week includes briefings on the threat posed by Islamic State, Sudan and South Sudan, alongside continued monitoring of developments related to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

At the same time, the race to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres enters a new phase. Following last week’s first confidential straw poll, diplomats are expected to continue assessing support for the seven candidates ahead of further informal ballots in the coming weeks. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan emerged as the early frontrunner in the initial voting, according to diplomats familiar with the confidential results.

Signals

• AI governance is entering a regulatory phase in which institutions will be judged by enforcement as much as legislation.

• Global environmental agreements are entering a period in which evidence of progress is becoming as politically important as new commitments.

• Science, technology and innovation are becoming more visible instruments of national diplomatic strategy.

On the calendar

Aug. 2 — European Union AI Act enforcement begins

August 1–7 — Vietnam’s 33rd Diplomatic Conference and 22nd National Conference on Foreign Affairs (Hanoi)
National conference on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. → Overview

Aug. 1–9 — COSPAR Scientific Assembly (Florence)
Thousands of scientists gather for one of the world’s largest international meetings on space research. → Program

July 27–Aug. 12 — Convention on Biological Diversity (Nairobi)
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity continue two weeks of deliberations to consider key findings of the first global assessment of progress against the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. → Agenda

Closing

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Issue No. 15 | Monday, July 27, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

This week governments gather in Nairobi for the first global review of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the landmark agreement adopted in 2022 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The review comes with a sobering assessment: while the framework has generated unprecedented international engagement, implementation is not advancing quickly enough to meet its 2030 goals.

The Nairobi meeting also reflects a broader shift across international science diplomacy, as institutions move from negotiating global frameworks to measuring implementation and deciding how to respond when progress falls short.

Beyond biodiversity, scientific governance faces new stress tests from oceans to space. The institutions that govern science and technology confront a widening range of strategic questions that no longer fit neatly within traditional diplomatic boundaries.

This week also brings meetings on deep-sea mining, nuclear verification, artificial intelligence, climate resilience, telecommunications standards and international space research. It also opens amid signs that the U.S.-Iran conflict may be shifting back toward diplomacy, putting renewed attention on the international institutions responsible for verification, maritime security and nuclear governance.

That challenge has become a defining feature of science diplomacy. Scientific cooperation depends not only on producing new knowledge but also on trusted institutions capable of managing competition, uncertainty and rapidly advancing technologies.

The International Seabed Authority moves from Council negotiations into its annual Assembly as governments continue debating the future of commercial mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Meanwhile, international space researchers prepare to gather in Florence for COSPAR’s Scientific Assembly, where scientists and space agencies will discuss planetary science, Earth observation, solar physics and exploration as scientific cooperation becomes increasingly entangled with geopolitical rivalry.

Elsewhere, climate adaptation, artificial intelligence, telecommunications standards and nuclear governance continue evolving through specialized institutions that often shape global policy before governments negotiate formal treaties.

Major processes to watch

Convention on Biological Diversity — Nairobi begins first global review

Parties begin reviewing the first global assessment of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The draft report concludes that although the agreement has generated unprecedented international engagement, current implementation remains insufficient to achieve its 2030 mission without substantially faster action. The recommendations negotiated in Nairobi will help shape decisions at COP17 in Armenia this October.

International Seabed Authority — Assembly opens as Mining Code negotiations continue

The ISA enters the final phase of its 31st annual session in Kingston, Jamaica.

Following two weeks of Council negotiations on the Mining Code, attention shifts to the Assembly, where member states consider broader questions of governance while negotiations continue over the future regulatory framework for commercial deep-sea mining.

The negotiations remain a major test of how the international system governs resources beyond national jurisdiction.

Florence — COSPAR opens one of the world's largest international space science meetings

Scientists, space agencies and international organizations convene in Florence for the 46th Scientific Assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR).

The meeting spans nearly every major area of contemporary space science — from planetary exploration and Earth observation to heliophysics, astrophysics and space sustainability — while providing one of the principal global forums linking scientific collaboration with international space governance.

Inside institutions

IAEA — Nuclear cooperation enters a verification phase

The International Atomic Energy Agency says it is awaiting a formal request from Washington and Riyadh to undertake verification work connected to the U.S.–Saudi civilian nuclear cooperation agreement.

The agreement has reopened debate over safeguards, uranium enrichment and the future of international nonproliferation standards.

UNEP — Cities confront extreme heat

Officials from Singapore, Lagos, Barcelona and Antalya join UNEP’s City Diplomacy Lab to examine how cities are sharing approaches to heat resilience, sustainable cooling and urban planning as extreme heat becomes a growing diplomatic and public health challenge.

WHO Climate & Health Alliance — Heat and mental health

Experts launch policy recommendations on integrating mental health into heat action plans, bringing psychological health more directly into climate adaptation planning.

ITU — Environmental efficiency of digital infrastructure

Experts within ITU Study Group 5 examine environmental efficiency standards for telecommunications and ICT infrastructure, reflecting wider attention to the energy demands of AI systems, networks and data centers.

Security Council watch — A week of diplomacy and succession

The Security Council’s formal agenda this week includes a briefing on Ukraine, its quarterly debate on the Middle East, a vote on renewing sanctions against the Central African Republic and consultations on preventive diplomacy in Central Asia. Members are also expected to continue monitoring developments related to Iran, Lebanon and freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

Behind the scenes, attention will also focus on the first confidential straw poll in the race to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres. The informal ballots, expected Thursday, will provide the first indication of support for the six declared candidates before additional rounds of voting later this year.

Looking ahead — Denmark prepares to assume the presidency

On Aug. 1, Denmark assumes the rotating presidency of the Security Council, with priorities that include conflict prevention, climate and security, women, peace and security, international law and Council effectiveness.

Across regions

Vienna — IAEA technical meetings continue

The IAEA hosts multiple technical meetings covering artificial intelligence in nuclear fuel manufacturing, radioactive waste retrieval, nuclear security and nuclear energy management, illustrating the multidisciplinary nature of nuclear governance.

Global

Earth Overshoot Day falls on Thursday, marking the point at which humanity’s annual demand for ecological resources exceeds what Earth can regenerate during the year. The Global Footprint Network emphasizes that this year’s later date reflects updated calculations rather than reduced environmental pressure.

Signals

• Specialized institutions are carrying more of the practical burden of technology governance.

• Civil, commercial and strategic interests are becoming harder to separate in international space cooperation.

• Climate adaptation is expanding beyond environmental policy into urban governance and public health.

• AI governance continues spreading through specialized technical organizations rather than a single global framework.

• Verification and regulatory institutions remain central to international confidence in nuclear cooperation.

On the calendar

July 27–31 — International Seabed Authority Assembly (Kingston, Jamaica)
Member states begin the Assembly portion of the Authority’s annual session while negotiations continue over the Mining Code governing deep-sea mineral resources. → Overview

July 27–Aug. 12 — Convention on Biological Diversity (Nairobi)
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity begin two weeks of deliberations to consider key findings of the first global assessment of progress against the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. → Agenda

July 29 — UNEP: Beating the Heat Together (Online)
Cities discuss diplomacy, urban resilience and adaptation to extreme heat. → Overview

July 29 — Policy Brief: Protecting Mental Health from Extreme Heat (Online)
Global health experts launch recommendations on integrating mental health into heat action planning. → Agenda

July 29 — ITU Study Group 5 Rapporteur Meeting (Online)
Experts review work on environmental efficiency standards for telecommunications and ICTs. → Background

July 30 — Earth Overshoot Day
Researchers mark the point at which humanity’s ecological demand exceeds Earth’s annual regenerative capacity. → Overview

Aug. 1–9 — COSPAR Scientific Assembly (Florence)
Thousands of scientists gather for one of the world’s largest international meetings on space research. → Program

Closing

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Issue No. 14 | Monday, July 20, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

Three years on, the AU–EU Innovation Agenda turns from ambition to delivery.

African Union and European officials have largely moved beyond defining the ambitions of their joint research and innovation partnership. This week, they turn to a more difficult question: how to convert those ambitions into durable partnerships, stronger innovation ecosystems and new opportunities for young researchers and entrepreneurs.

Launched in July 2023, the agenda provides a framework for strengthening research, innovation and entrepreneurship between Africa and Europe to support sustainable and inclusive growth. The sixth implementation workshop on Thursday shifts attention from political commitments to the practical work of expanding research collaboration, strengthening innovation ecosystems and supporting a new generation of entrepreneurs.

The workshop also reflects a broader shift in international science diplomacy. After years of launching new frameworks and partnerships, many institutions now face the harder task of making them work.

The agenda was created to provide a common framework for cooperation in research, innovation, entrepreneurship and scientific capacity building across five priority areas, including the green transition, public health, science and technology, and research capacity.

A series of implementation workshops has brought together researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, innovation hubs and youth organizations to translate those objectives into practical collaborations.

This year’s workshop focuses on youth-led innovation, highlighting how startups, universities, innovation hubs and policymakers can strengthen cross-continental partnerships. Sessions will examine mobility programs, entrepreneurship support, intellectual property, university-industry partnerships and funding opportunities while taking stock of progress under the first phase of the 2023–2033 agenda.

As one AU official told us, the main task is no longer simply financing collaboration but building institutional capacity that turns research into innovation partnerships.

Major processes to watch

International Seabed Authority — Negotiations on the Mining Code deepen

The international organization in Kingston, Jamaica, enters another week of intensive negotiations on the Mining Code, the rules that would govern commercial exploitation of mineral resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

This week’s agenda moves beyond broad principles into the architecture of regulation, including compliance and enforcement mechanisms, closure plans for mining operations, regulatory provisions and environmental protections. Parallel discussions examine regional environmental management plans, transparency of environmental data and the relationship between the ISA and the U.N. High Seas (BBNJ) Agreement.

The Council meets through July 24 before the ISA Assembly opens the following week to consider broader institutional, budgetary and governance questions.

Geneva — CITES moves from decisions to implementation

The CITES Plants Committee meets for the first time since CoP20 in Samarkand to begin the scientific work of implementing conference decisions.

While governments adopted new resolutions and species listings at CoP20, the Plants Committee now begins translating those political decisions into technical guidance on sustainable trade, species identification and scientific assessments used by national authorities.

This week, the Plants Committee will work to advance the scientific priorities and measures for sustainable trade in medicinal and aromatic plants, rosewood trees, orchids, and other wild flora.

Inside institutions

WMO — Ozone assessment panel meets

Scientists meet at World Meteorological Organization headquarters to finalize the Executive Summary for the 2026 Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion, the quadrennial report that informs Parties to the Montreal Protocol.

U.N. Global Mechanism — Strengthening ICT security

Diplomats begin the first plenary session of the General Assembly's new permanent mechanism on developments in information and communications technologies in the context of international security.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday through Thursday, starting with statements from U.N. Undersecretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Izumi Nakamitsu and El Salvador’s U.N. Ambassador Egriselda López, who chairs the global mechanism.

Security Council watch — Diplomats examine governance beyond crisis response

The U.N. Security Council convenes two debates that look beyond immediate conflicts toward the institutions designed to prevent them.

On Wednesday, diplomats examine how governance of natural resources, including critical minerals, affects peace and security. On Thursday, the Council considers U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres’ recommendations for strengthening mediation and other Chapter VI mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Across regions

Africa–Europe — The AU–EU Innovation Agenda implementation workshop explores how young innovators, entrepreneurs and research organizations can strengthen cross-continental collaboration through funding, mobility and innovation partnerships.

New York — The High-Level Political Forum concludes its annual review of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals, with ministers focusing on accelerating implementation in the final years before 2030.

Signals

• International partnerships are judged more by implementation than new commitments.

• Scientific advisory bodies continue to play a larger role in translating political agreements into operational guidance.

• Capacity building has become a central objective of international science cooperation.

• Governance of strategic resources, from biodiversity to critical minerals, is moving closer to the center of global diplomacy.

• Preventive governance is receiving renewed attention across domains ranging from cybersecurity to conflict prevention.

On the calendar

July 14–23 — High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (New York)
Governments continue annual reviews of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. → Program

July 17–23 — CITES Plants Committee (Geneva)
Scientific experts meet for the first time since CITES CoP20 to advance implementation of new species listings and guidance on sustainable trade in medicinal plants, rosewoods, orchids and other wild flora. → Agenda

July 20–24 — Plenary Session, Global Mechanism on ICTs in the Context of International Security (New York)

Diplomats hold the first substantive plenary session of the new Global Mechanism on ICT Security. → Documents

July 23 — AU–EU Innovation Agenda Workshop (Online)

African Union and European Commission officials review implementation of the 10-year Innovation Agenda, with a focus on youth-led innovation and entrepreneurship. → Program

July 13–31 — International Seabed Authority Annual Session (Kingston, Jamaica)
Delegates continue negotiations on rules governing potential deep-sea mining activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction. → Overview

Closing

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Issue No. 13 | Monday, July 13, 2026

Good morning,

Welcome to The Science Diplomat Playbook, your Monday morning guide to what’s shaping the week ahead in global science diplomacy.

The lead

IIASA launches the Howard Raiffa Academy to explore how decision science can strengthen diplomacy and public policy.

As governments struggle to navigate complex challenges ranging from artificial intelligence and climate change to public health, resource security and geopolitical competition, a gathering at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis this week will explore a question that sits at the heart of science diplomacy: How can decision-makers make better choices under conditions of uncertainty?

The inaugural Howard Raiffa Academy Short Course, taking place Tuesday through Thursday in Laxenburg, Austria, brings together scientists, diplomats, policymakers, negotiators and decision-analysis experts to examine how analytical tools can improve decision-making and international cooperation. Organized with support from Friends of IIASA and named after Howard Raiffa, IIASA’s first director and one of the founders of modern decision and negotiation analysis, the initiative reflects growing interest in the role of decision science in addressing complex global challenges.

The timing is notable. The international system faces pressure from rapid technological change, rising geopolitical tensions, climate risks and interconnected crises. Yet many of the institutions responsible for managing these challenges were designed for a different era. The Raiffa Academy begins from the premise that scientific evidence alone is often insufficient. What matters equally is how uncertainty is understood, competing objectives are weighed, negotiations are structured and scientific knowledge is incorporated into policy decisions.

The three-day course combines methodological sessions with real-world case studies ranging from transboundary air pollution negotiations and Colorado River water allocation disputes to Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI. Participants will examine how decision analysis, negotiation analysis and systems thinking can be applied to public policy, diplomacy and governance.

A highlight of the week will be the annual Howard Raiffa Lecture at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, where former U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, now president-elect of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will speak on “The Ethics of National Security Decisions: Lessons from the Social Sciences.”

The inaugural course is intended as a pilot for a broader effort. Organizers hope to build a network of scientists, policymakers and advisers capable of applying decision-science tools to international challenges where uncertainty is unavoidable, interests diverge and the stakes are high. In that sense, the Raiffa Academy is an experiment in strengthening the analytical foundations of international cooperation itself.

Major processes to watch

WHO Pandemic Agreement — Negotiations move to the implementation phase

Negotiators gather in Geneva for the last week of the seventh meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which runs through Friday. Governments will continue work on one of the most difficult unresolved elements of the accord: the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex.

Adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2025, the Pandemic Agreement established a framework for strengthening pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. But negotiators have yet to finalize the system governing how pathogen samples, genetic sequence data and resulting benefits, including vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, would be shared during future outbreaks.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged that governments had hoped to complete the negotiations before this year’s World Health Assembly. Instead, talks have been extended as countries search for consensus on issues at the intersection of public health, equity, intellectual property and global access.

The negotiations will test whether governments can move from agreeing on broad principles to constructing the mechanisms needed to make the agreement operational.

U.S.-Iran diplomacy — Switzerland may host another round

Reports indicate that U.S. and Iranian negotiators could return to Switzerland in the coming week as regional mediators seek to stabilize a fragile diplomatic process following renewed tensions.

Although details remain uncertain, a new round of talks would place questions of nuclear governance, verification, monitoring and regional security back at the center of international diplomacy. Switzerland has already hosted direct discussions between the two sides this year and remains one of the most important venues for sensitive negotiations involving science, technology and security issues.

Whether diplomacy can regain momentum after recent setbacks remains one of the key questions to watch.

High-Level Political Forum — The SDG deadline approaches

The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development continues in New York through Wednesday, as governments assess progress toward the 2030 Agenda with less than five years remaining before the deadline.

This year’s review focuses on water and sanitation, energy, infrastructure and innovation, sustainable cities and international partnerships. Discussions center not on setting new goals but on accelerating implementation of existing commitments.

Inside institutions

IIASA — Building a new bridge between science and policy

Beyond the Raiffa Academy itself, the initiative reflects a broader effort at IIASA to strengthen connections between scientific analysis and decision-making.

The institute has long specialized in systems analysis and international scientific cooperation. The new program seeks to expand that tradition by incorporating decision analysis, negotiation science and emerging AI-enabled approaches into frameworks for public policy and diplomacy. Organizers describe the effort as a way of helping researchers, policymakers and negotiators work more effectively across the science-policy interface.

WHO — Multilateralism under pressure

The Pandemic Agreement negotiations have become one of the most visible tests of contemporary multilateral health diplomacy.

The challenge is whether they can agree on how benefits, responsibilities and access should be distributed when the next global health emergency emerges.

Security Council watch — Resources, governance and the causes of conflict

Congo is using its Security Council presidency to elevate an important question in international affairs: whether competition over natural resources is adequately addressed as a source of conflict and instability.

An Arria-formula meeting on Monday will examine what organizers describe as normative gaps linking natural resources and peace, while a high-level Council debate later this month will focus on “Natural resource governance: The foundation of peace, security and prosperity.”

The discussions come as governments place growing strategic importance on critical minerals, energy resources and industrial supply chains. While the Council traditionally focuses on conflicts after they erupt, Congo’s presidency is seeking to draw greater attention to governance failures, resource competition and institutional weaknesses that can contribute to instability long before violence begins.

Across regions

Paris — UNESCO takes stock of the Science Decade

UNESCO convenes the first Global Conference of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development this week, bringing together governments, researchers, industry leaders, civil society organizations and Indigenous knowledge communities to assess progress since the Decade’s launch in 2024.

The gathering comes as policymakers look beyond individual scientific breakthroughs toward broader questions of how science can support sustainable development, strengthen science-policy interfaces and inform the post-2030 development agenda. A high-level session on “Science diplomacy in action: governing global commons” highlights the growing role of scientific cooperation in addressing challenges that transcend national borders.

Two years into the Decade, the conference offers an opportunity to evaluate whether governments are translating commitments on science for sustainable development into concrete action.

Bangkok — The Montreal Protocol faces a new funding test

Negotiators meet in Bangkok for the Open-ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol as governments begin preparations for the next replenishment of the Multilateral Fund, the financial mechanism that helps developing countries implement the treaty.

Often cited as one of the most successful environmental agreements ever negotiated, the Montreal Protocol now faces a new challenge: maintaining momentum on ozone protection and hydrofluorocarbon phase-down efforts amid mounting fiscal pressures on both governments and multilateral institutions.

The discussions will help shape decisions expected later this year in Kigali, Rwanda, where countries will mark the tenth anniversary of the Kigali Amendment and consider the next phase of funding for one of the world’s most effective science-based international agreements.

Kingston — Deep sea mining negotiations enter another critical phase

The International Seabed Authority resumes negotiations in Jamaica over rules that would govern commercial mining of mineral resources in international waters, one of the most consequential unresolved questions in ocean governance.

Delegates continue efforts to balance competing pressures from countries and companies seeking access to critical minerals used in energy and technology systems and those calling for a moratorium or precautionary pause until environmental risks are better understood.

At stake is more than a mining code. The negotiations are viewed as a test of how the international system manages scientific uncertainty, environmental protection and resource competition in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Signals

• Institutions are investing more in decision-making capacity, not just scientific expertise.

• The hardest phase of global governance begins after agreements are reached.

• Access to data is becoming as politically contested as access to physical resources.

• AI is moving from a governance challenge to a governance tool.

• Resource governance is emerging as a central question in both security and sustainability.

• Infrastructure resilience is becoming a core governance challenge.

On the calendar

July 14–16 — Howard Raiffa Academy Short Course (Laxenburg, Austria)
Scientists, diplomats, policymakers and decision-analysis experts examine how analytical tools can support decision-making, negotiation and diplomacy under uncertainty. → Information

July 15 — Howard Raiffa Lecture: Avril Haines (Vienna)
The former U.S. Director of National Intelligence delivers a lecture on the ethics of national security decision-making and lessons from the social sciences. → Program

July 6–17 — Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement (Geneva)
Negotiators continue work on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex to the Pandemic Agreement. → Information

July 14–23 — High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (New York)
Governments continue annual reviews of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. → Program

July 15–17 — Global Conference of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (Paris)
UNESCO convenes governments, researchers and other stakeholders to assess progress on the Science Decade and explore science-policy cooperation beyond 2030. → Information

July 13–31 — International Seabed Authority Annual Session (Kingston, Jamaica)
Delegates continue negotiations on rules governing potential deep-sea mining activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction. → Overview

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