ASDPN International has been at the forefront of fostering Science Diplomacy since 2018 as a radical idea towards the attainment of sustainable development particularly in the developing world. In 2018 an Ocean away from Dallas, a conference was held in Yaoundé Cameroon to find innovative solutions to the complex challenges of sustainable development. The reality of these challenges is even more evident today as countries in the developing world today find themselves at an important crossroads in terms of defining and shaping their transformational agenda. However, economic growth continues to remain very slow relative to the potentials that exist in most of these nation states. An emerging driver to unlocking the developing world’s growth potential is massive investment in Science Diplomacy with its obvious potential in bringing about Sustainable Development fo. In addition, At the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25^th September 2015, more than 150 world leaders including leaders from the developing world adopted the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which encompasses the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Given that the objective of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is to support governments around the world in tackling the new agenda and taking it forward over the next 7 years, it has become clear to the science technology and innovation (STI) community as well as senior advisors on the SDG’s in these countries and globally that the majority of the 17 global goals require scientific contribution for their achievement. The deadline of 2030 for the achievement of the SDG’s openly displays the need for the systematic promotion of the sciences, strengthening of the scientific capacities and structures as well as the establishment of national, regional mechanisms for scientific contribution to the foreign and domestic policies of states in the developing world for the purpose of achieving the 2030 agenda and ensuring that a solid base exist for attaining post 2030 development agendas.

It is very clear that without an intentional multi-faceted approach that incorporates and supports inclusive scientific mechanism(s) for well constructed and implementable scientific strategies as well as  objectives for the countries and regions, the drivers of the SDG’s may not be able to be comprehensively achieved. It is therefore critical that professionals from the private sector, academia, governments, civil society, along with development practitioners and students and faculties from the world’s top universities are encouraged to invest and position science to support diplomatic processes that support global goals such as the SDG’s.