IIASA researcher Nadya Komendantova participated in a side event to the 2026 UN Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs, which took place at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 7th May 2026. The event, organized by International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges (IAAI GloCha), focused on Global Challenges Action ID and Global Challenges Action Registry solutions for youth-led action, healthy communities, and climate-resilient development through digital public infrastructure.
Komendantova was among the presenters for the session’s partnership segment, where she spoke on behalf of IIASA’s Cooperation & Transformative Governance Research Group. Her participation added a strong research dimension to the event, linking the GloCha platform’s practical tools with broader questions of governance, cooperation, and transformative action for the SDGs.
The side event showcased an interoperable digital infrastructure designed to document, certify, and incentivize grassroots action, with pilot use cases ranging from youth climate action in Uganda to public health citizen science and global youth mobilization for healthy lifestyles. Komendantova’s contribution highlighted the importance of inclusive governance approaches and collaborative frameworks that can support these initiatives in real-world settings.
The side event brought together a notably strong group of high-level participants whose contributions underscored its multistakeholder character. Among them are H.E. Amb. Stan O. Smith, Permanent Representative of The Bahamas to the United Nations in New York, who framed the broader vision of reimagining global cooperation through digital transformation, and David Gonahasa of Uganda’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, who spoke on digital public infrastructure for climate entrepreneurship and carbon market readiness. Their participation, alongside representatives from UNOOSA, Rotary, youth organizations, and other partner institutions, gave the event a distinctly global and policy-relevant profile, connecting technical innovation with diplomatic engagement and practical implementation.
Her participation is particularly relevant because the event is framed around partnerships among UN missions, youth delegates, civil society organizations, and international experts. Within that setting, IIASA’s presence through Komendantova underscores the value of evidence-based research in shaping digital solutions that are both socially meaningful and institutionally robust.
News
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