The 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference, convened from November 7 to 22, 2023 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, adopted by acclamation a resolution recommending that the United Nations General Assembly declare 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). The resolution followed the endorsement by the UNESCO Executive Board in May 2023 and represented the next procedural step toward formal UN proclamation.
According to reporting from the American Physical Society, Mexico shepherded the coalition’s initial proposal through the 42nd General Conference, with 56 other countries co-sponsoring the resolution. The conference gathered representatives of 194 member states.
Following the General Conference resolution, Ghana prepared to submit a formal draft resolution to the UN General Assembly for consideration at its 78th session. UNESCO was positioned as the lead agency for the initiative given its mandate in the basic sciences.