UNESCO has mapped 397 scientific initiatives across 79 countries, with combined funding of about US$50 million. Together, they address all 17 Sustainable Development Goals, yet participation remains uneven. Africa hosts fewer than 10% of the initiatives despite representing 17.5% of the world's population. This imbalance may limit the range of knowledge and priorities shaping international scientific cooperation.
Policy adoption has expanded since UNESCO issued its Recommendation on Open Science in 2021. By 2025, 81 countries had taken steps to implement it, but progress differed widely. Nearly four in five had created a policy framework, while only 41% had an implementation plan and one third had monitoring systems. Forty percent of participating initiatives named weak coordination as their main barrier. The report warns that isolated projects cannot close structural gaps alone. UNESCO promotes broader access to scientific infrastructure and knowledge, stronger links between researchers and policy makers, and greater scientific integrity, inclusion and literacy.