In recent years, UNESCO has played a leadership role in promoting open science. The 2021 Declaration on Global Open Access to scientific publications is a prime example of this commitment. UNESCO has championed the notion of immediate and cost-free access to scientific literature, often referred to as the ‘Diamond model’, where neither the authors nor the readers bear any costs. The Diamond model is one among many with other examples of open access being developed in various parts of the world. Several nations and organizations have adopted open access policies using a diversity of models. Quebec’s Research Fund (FRQ) signed the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and actively supports Coalition S, advocating for free access to scientific publications in all languages independent of the open access model. While these efforts are laudable, they remain insufficient. We must move to the next phase: measuring compliance and understanding the impact of open access initiatives. Open access is still not secured and policy support to all and any open access model still needs to be implemented by many governments, funders, and institutions that still allow the use of public funds to pay for closed and paywalled science.

The International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) was formed in 2014 under the sponsorship of the International Council of Science’s (ICSU, now the International Science Council (ISC)). Over 220 practitioners and academics at the science-policy interface from more than 40 countries, both developing and developed, attended an inaugural meeting in Auckland. The discussion focused on identifying the issues that challenged the provision of effective science advice to governments, a process which was very patchy across the globe. Ten years later, INGSA held its fifth global conference in Kigali, Rwanda.