Programme / Science diplomacy: global cities take the lead

Just as it happened during the Renaissance, with autonomous cities like Ghent, Bruges, Florence, Venice and Antwerp, which redefined the international legal framework and set the stage for transnational credit and innovative trading networks, contemporary global cities are uniquely suited to translate their knowledge, resilience and productivity into global progress. The future of multilateralism is metropolitan. The global challenges that cities are dealing with, from climate change to health, migrations, water and food security, together with rapid developments in areas such as artificial intelligence, internet of things, robotics and gene editing, raise fundamental issues as to the future of public policy and global governance. Major global metropolises with solid science and technology ecosystems cannot turn a blind eye to the current global challenges. They are critical in implementing the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, turning it from a global vision into a tangible reality. It is time for a city-led science diplomacy. In this panel we will discuss the role of cities in multilateral cooperation for addressing crosscutting challenges and feature the cases of Barcelona, Geneva and Miami, which are already deploying their science diplomacy strategies, thus paving the way for other global cities.