Is knowledge brokering the missing link between science and changing behaviours for sustainable development and climate action? Patrick van Weerelt of UNSSC

SDG Learncast

Transferring science and research into policy and practice is a complex process, but failing to do so results in inequities and wasted resources. Finding appropriate mechanisms for the transfer of science and research into policies, programmes, and practice has become a major driver in finding approaches and solutions to achieving sustainable development. There has been a major push in the uptake of research and evidence-based technologies and funding also began mandating the use of activities that link research-generated evidence to policy and practice.

A solution to bridge the gap between science, policies, programmes, and practice is to use knowledge brokers, who are neutral intermediaries that function as an interface between the creators and users of knowledge. They are the human force behind knowledge transfer, finding, assessing, interpreting evidence, facilitating interaction, developing accessible formats, and identifying opportunities for collaboration and exchange between the producers and users of knowledge and spur enablers for behaviour change. Is knowledge brokering the missing link between science and changing behaviours for sustainable development and climate action?

In this episode, we listen to Patrick van Weerelt, the Head of Office of the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development on the importance of knowledge brokering in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the role of the Knowledge Centre for Sustainable Development in brokering knowledge between different actors and stakeholders who do not usually engage with each other. He shared lessons he learned in his years of experience in the areas of learning, training, and knowledge management for sustainable development and his insights into the gap between acquiring knowledge and changing behaviours.

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