The UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Energy Communities at the University of Pisa has been selected by UNESCO to organize one of the official Side Events of the UNESCO Global Conference 2026, taking place from 15 to 17 July at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris as part of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD 2024–2033).
It is the only UNESCO Chair selected to host an official event within the framework of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD).
Entitled “Science, Energy, Heritage and Peace: Women-led Pathways for Sustainable Development between Italy and Africa,” the Side Event will be held on 16 July in Room III at UNESCO Headquarters. The initiative will explore the role of science as a strategic driver for the energy transition, the protection of cultural and natural heritage, international cooperation, and peacebuilding, with a particular focus on relations between Italy and Africa and on the contribution of women to sustainable development.
The event will open with institutional remarks by Liborio Stellino, Permanent Representative of Italy to UNESCO, and Maria Chiara Prodi, Director of the Maison de l’Italie at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. The scientific introduction will be delivered by Professor Marco Raugi, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Energy Communities at the University of Pisa.
The programme will feature distinguished international speakers, including Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA); Houda Ben Jannet Allal, Director General of the Organisation Méditerranéenne de l’Énergie et du Climat (OMEC); Marie-Line Vaiani, Secretary General of the World Energy Council France; Stefano Ubertini, Advisor for the Mattei Plan; and Yoslan Nur, Programme Specialist in UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Sector, who will deliver the closing remarks.
The roundtable discussion will be coordinated by Annateresa Rondinella, Scientific Coordinator of the Side Event, and will bring together UNESCO Chairholders, representatives of universities, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, international organizations, public institutions, and the private sector to discuss opportunities for strengthening science diplomacy and international cooperation for sustainable development.
The initiative confirms the University of Pisa UNESCO Chair as an international reference point for fostering dialogue between scientific research, innovation, public policy and heritage governance, while contributing to the objectives of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development and UNESCO’s mission to build peace through science, culture and international cooperation.
