Policymakers globally need to work together to formulate the principles of a lifelong learning framework that is proactively inclusive.

This article reviews Japan’s efforts to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and discusses the future in science, technology and innovation (STI) to achieve the SDGs at global, regional, national, and local levels.

The degree to which global concerns are incorporated into national aspirations becomes one of the most important factors in determining whether countries can tackle worldwide problems together. 

Over the past decade, the use of scientific expertise to advance diplomacy has achieved a number of successes in furthering peace, security, and prosperity. Yet there have also been reversals in important areas that until recently had seen progress.

The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda have been called a gift to humanity, though much work remains to be done.

Over her long academic and government career, the author has noticed that the term science and engineering diplomacy is little known, used, discussed, or understood in the engineering community. 

This article argues that science and innovation should receive more attention within European Union trade policy, and vice versa, in order to mitigate risks and help the EU develop solutions to global challenges.