The Commission on Science and Technology Development (CSTD) is a subsidiary of the UN Economic and Social Council, one of the six principal organs of the UN. It serves as an intergovernmental forum for ECOSOC and the General Assembly for discussion on the latest news and development in the fields of science and technology, and the committee receives substantial support from UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). 

 

The CSTD meets annually and reports to the Economic and Social Council, and it currently consists of 43 elected members who serve four year terms and a bureau of a chair and four vice chairs. It is a successor to the Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology, which was originally formed in 1979 and transformed into a subsidiary body of ECOSOC in 1992. CSTD has been a relevant focal point of discussion in the follow up to the issues discussed at the World Summit on the Information Society in 2005, and has been a forefront on developments of big tech such as big data analytics, the Internet of Things, and AI. 

 

CSTD serves the UN member states’ national governments and civil organizations through the experience and expertise of its representatives, and it also collaborates with other UN bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women and UNESCO.