Issue No. 28 | Monday, October 26, 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
Africa and Europe are moving ahead with plans to expand cooperation on artificial intelligence in scientific research, despite the postponement of their next research and innovation ministerial meeting until 2027.
Researchers, policymakers and institutional representatives from both regions meet online Monday for the A.U.–E.U. High-Level Event on AI in Science, a daylong discussion intended to develop recommendations for the rescheduled ministerial meeting.
The original ministerial gathering, planned for October 26–27 in Addis Ababa, was postponed amid security developments in Ethiopia. The AI meeting was retained as a standalone expert-level event, allowing technical discussions to proceed while the broader political dialogue remains on hold.
The agenda focuses on four areas: research data and computing infrastructure; scientific networks and applications; innovation ecosystems and technology transfer; and skills, mobility and talent development.
Access to advanced computing systems, research datasets and sustained financing is particularly important for African institutions seeking to participate in AI-intensive scientific research. Participants will also address data sovereignty, the ownership and sharing of research resources, and the movement of scientific talent between institutions with unequal capacities.
Discussions will cover AI applications in health, climate, energy and food systems, alongside responsible AI, open science and interoperability. Existing Africa–Europe research networks, including the Clusters of Research Excellence initiative, provide a foundation for further collaboration.
The meeting is expected to refine recommendations for consideration ahead of the 2027 ministerial. It will not produce a ministerial agreement.
Elsewhere this week, biodiversity negotiators enter the final days of COP17 in Armenia, while the U.N. World Investment Forum in Doha examines the concentration of global investment and the financing of emerging technologies. U.N. experts in Geneva mark 40 years of the right to development, and the Security Council takes up nuclear nonproliferation and emerging technologies in maritime security.
Major processes to watch
Biodiversity — COP17 enters its final week with financing and implementation unresolved
The U.N. Biodiversity Conference enters its second and final week in Yerevan, Armenia, with ministers due to join negotiations Tuesday and Wednesday and governments working toward decisions on implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The conference is conducting the first collective review of progress toward the framework’s 2030 targets. An assessment released ahead of the meeting found that fewer than half of the national targets evaluated were on track, despite nearly 90% of parties having established national targets.
The remaining negotiations include the proposed Yerevan Pathway, intended to accelerate implementation, along with biodiversity financing, scientific monitoring, national reporting and benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.
The framework calls for mobilizing at least $200 billion annually from all sources for biodiversity by 2030, including at least $30 billion a year in international financial flows from developed to developing countries. It also seeks to reduce environmentally harmful incentives by at least $500 billion annually.
Civil society organizations are pressing for interim financing milestones, reforms to harmful subsidies and stronger consideration of the financial constraints facing developing countries. The Cali Fund, established to share benefits from the use of genetic sequence information, faces questions about its limited contributions and capacity to support conservation.
Indigenous peoples’ rights, biosafety and developments in synthetic biology also remain part of the broader conference agenda, which includes meetings under the Nagoya and Cartagena protocols.
On Monday, COP17 President Hambardzum Matevosyan, U.N. Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen and Convention on Biological Diversity Executive Secretary Astrid Schomaker are scheduled to brief journalists on negotiating progress and outstanding decisions.
The high-level segment takes place October 27–28, ahead of the conference’s scheduled conclusion Friday.
Investment diplomacy — Doha forum confronts unequal access to capital and technology
The U.N. World Investment Forum continues Monday and Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, with new data showing that global investment remains heavily concentrated while funding for development-critical sectors has declined in developing countries.
According to U.N. Trade and Development, more than 80% of global foreign direct investment went to just 20 economies in 2025. Although the value of international investment rose in the first half of 2026, new projects and cross-border transactions continued to decline. Investment in infrastructure, energy, health and food systems fell by more than 25% in developing countries.
The ninth forum, which opened Sunday, brings together governments, investors and international organizations to examine investment policies, financing partnerships and opportunities for developing economies.
Artificial intelligence has a dedicated investment track for the first time. Monday’s program includes sessions on AI infrastructure, financing advanced technologies, digital investment and the development of scientific and technical talent.
The forum also addresses space investment, sustainable finance, energy transition and innovation-driven industrial development.
For developing countries, participation in advanced research and emerging technology industries depends not only on scientific partnerships but also on access to computing infrastructure, reliable energy, specialized expertise and investment capital.
Development governance — U.N. experts mark 40 years of the right to development
The U.N. Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development meets this week in Geneva, marking the 40th anniversary of the U.N. Declaration on the Right to Development.
The five-member expert body, established by the Human Rights Council in 2019, provides thematic expertise on the implementation of development rights and advises governments on relevant policies and practices.
This week’s session examines two draft studies: peace and security in relation to the right to development, and the consequences of illicit financial flows. Discussions also cover corporate human rights due diligence, access to food, inequalities and Indigenous peoples’ rights.
The agenda brings together legal, economic and policy questions relevant to international development cooperation, including the responsibilities of governments and businesses and the distribution of resources needed to realize development rights.
The session opens Monday with remarks from senior U.N. human rights officials and the mechanism’s chair, Juana María Ibáñez Rivas. Public discussions continue through Wednesday, when the experts are scheduled to adopt conclusions and recommendations.
The mechanism’s recent thematic work has also addressed climate finance and the relationship between artificial intelligence, cultural rights and development.
Security Council watch — Nuclear verification and emerging technologies
The U.N. Security Council turns to two issues with direct implications for science and technology diplomacy this week.
On Tuesday, members are scheduled to hold an open briefing and closed consultations on Iran’s nuclear nonproliferation file. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi may brief the Council, placing nuclear verification and international safeguards within the wider diplomatic discussion.
On Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to chair a high-level debate on emerging technologies and maritime security under the Council’s international peace and security agenda.
Monday brings an open briefing marking the 30th anniversary of the children and armed conflict mandate, while Tuesday also features the annual women, peace and security debate. Council members will meet privately with the president of the International Court of Justice on Wednesday.
Friday’s agenda includes scheduled votes on peace operations in Colombia, Libya and Western Sahara, along with the European Union-led stabilization force in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Greece and Latvia have separately announced plans for an informal expert group on technology, peace and security, although the initiative has not yet been formally established.
Signals
Trade and development — WTO reviews Aid for Trade assistance. The World Trade Organization holds its 10th Global Review of Aid for Trade October 29–30 in Geneva. Ministers, development specialists and international organizations will examine the effectiveness of trade-related assistance, changing needs in developing economies and partnerships intended to strengthen their participation in global commerce.
Medical protection in conflict — Security Council members negotiate a draft resolution. Council members are expected to continue discussions on a Danish draft resolution concerning the protection of medical missions in armed conflict, including the safety of health personnel and the protection of medical operations.
On the calendar
Oct. 26 — AU–EU High-Level Event on AI in Science, online. African and European experts discuss research infrastructure, scientific networks, innovation and talent development, preparing recommendations for further consideration ahead of the rescheduled ministerial meeting. → Registration
Oct. 26–30 — U.N. Biodiversity Conference (COP17), Yerevan, Armenia. Final negotiating week, including the proposed Yerevan Pathway and decisions on implementation of the global biodiversity framework. → Conference schedule
Oct. 26 — COP17 leadership press conference, Yerevan and online. The COP17 presidency, UNEP and CBD Secretariat brief journalists at 5:15 p.m. Yerevan time (UTC+4). → U.N. Web TV
Oct. 26–27 — World Investment Forum, Doha, Qatar. Final two days of the UNCTAD gathering, including sessions on AI infrastructure, investment policy and emerging technologies. → Program
Oct. 26–28 — U.N. Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, Geneva. Fourteenth session, marking 40 years since the adoption of the U.N. Declaration on the Right to Development. → Agenda
Oct. 27–28 — COP17 high-level ministerial segment, Yerevan. Ministers address progress and outstanding decisions in the biodiversity negotiations. → Conference website
Oct. 29 — U.N. Security Council debate on emerging technologies and maritime security, New York. High-level meeting under Greece’s Council presidency. → U.N. Web TV
Oct. 29–30 — WTO 10th Global Review of Aid for Trade, Geneva. Discussions on trade-related development assistance and the participation of developing economies in international commerce. → Program
Closing
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