From 16 to 18 October 2025, the 4th United Nations Open Science and Open Scholarship Conference will convene policymakers, intergovernmental organization representatives, researchers, scholars, librarians, publishers and civil society, both online and in person, at the United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan.
In September 2024, at the Summit of the Future, all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted the action-oriented Pact for the Future. The Pact underscores that science is instrumental for the three pillars of the United Nations — sustainable development, peace and security, and human rights. Recognizing the potential for science to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Pact supports policies towards open science and open innovation to help bridge science gaps, especially in developing countries. The right to participate in and benefit from science remains fundamental to human progress and a long-standing international commitment, recognized in article 27.1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and through multiple and wide-ranging science-policy interfaces and special measures to remove obstacles to exercising that right.
Despite these significant commitments, billions of people — especially in developing countries — still lack meaningful access to participate in and benefit from critical scientific knowledge, research infrastructure and emerging technologies. Open science and open scholarship provide a transformative pathway to reverse these trends, fostering multilateral cooperation, responsible innovation and the equitable dissemination of knowledge. As stated in the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, we must ensure “reciprocal access to science for all producers and consumers of knowledge regardless of their location, nationality, race, age, gender, income, socio-economic circumstance, career stage, discipline, language, religion, disability, ethnicity, migratory status or any other grounds”.
Organized by the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library of the Department of Global Communications, in collaboration with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division of Sustainable Development Goals, UNESCO’s Division of Science Policy and Capacity-Building, and the United Nations University, the 4th United Nations Open Science and Open Scholarship Conference will serve as a platform to advance these principles as key priorities in the international agenda for implementing the Pact for the Future.
The Conference will serve as an urgent call to accelerate transformations in science and scholarship in alignment with actions 28–33 of the Pact of the Future, to map progress in national and international efforts towards opening the record of science, and to inspire collaborative actions and coalitions to expedite progress ensuring no country, community or individual is left behind.
Programme
The programme of the 4th UN Open Science and Open Scholarship Conference is organized across three days, each focusing on a specific theme of the Conference. Each day will include panels, keynote presentations and remarks from high-level speakers across the United Nations System. The Conference also includes a closed-door session, “Open Science and the Pact for the Future”. This session will not be streamed and is open to members of the Advisory Committee to the Conference and invited guests.
Visit the Conference website for a current programme.
Registration and participation
Visit the conference website to register to attend online or in person. The conference website also includes information about the venue and accommodations.
If you are planning to attend from outside Japan, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan website for information for foreign nationals about visas, including application procedures and other related questions.
Visit the Conference website for full event details and updates.
