2025 to be International Year of Quantum Science and Technology: UN

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. The 193-member United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to this effect on 7 June 2024.  Earlier, the United Nations had declared 2025 as the

• International Year of Cooperatives,
• International Year of Peace and Trust and 
• International Year of Glacier’s Preservation.

The United Nations can declare one or more themes as the focus of an International Year in order to promote, through awareness and action, the objectives of the theme.

2024 is being observed as the International Year of Camelids. (Bactrian camels, Dromedary camels, Llamas, Alpacas, Guanaco, and Vicuana  are considered camelid animals.)

By designating 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, the United Nations wants to increase public awareness about the importance of quantum science, encourage young people to study it and bolster support for using it to address current challenges.

Background and History

2025 marks 100 years since the publication of a paper by the German physicist Werner Heisenberg, which laid the foundation for quantum mechanics. 

To recognise this momentous scientific event, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference in November 2023 passed a resolution requesting that the United Nations declare 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

The African country Ghana submitted a resolution,co-sponsored by six other countries in the United Nations General Assembly, to declare 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

The United Nations  General Assembly passed the resolution and, on 7 June 2024, officially declared 2025 to be The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.

Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that describes the behaviour of nature at the sub-atomic level. Since then, quantum mechanics has contributed to  advancements in other branches of science like physics, chemistry, biology, material science, and information science.

Impact of United Nations Declaration 

The United Nations declaration will focus global attention on quantum science and technology and increase its awareness among stakeholders and the public. It will encourage member countries, research institutions, individual scientists, and activists to find a new application of quantum science and technology to meet the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and solve Earth's pressing problems related to climate, energy, food safety & security, medicines and clean water.