South Africa was among 13 countries that submitted a proposal to the 216th session of the UNESCO Executive Board in May 2023 requesting the proclamation of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The co-sponsors included Brazil, Egypt, Ghana, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Mexico, Paraguay, the Republic of Korea, Senegal, Serbia, South Africa, and Spain.
The UNESCO Executive Board endorsed the resolution, which was co-sponsored by 59 countries, and recommended that the UNESCO General Conference at its 42nd session adopt it. The resolution was subsequently adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in November 2023. Ghana formally submitted the draft resolution to the UN General Assembly in May 2024, and the General Assembly officially proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology on June 7, 2024, with co-sponsorship from more than 70 countries.