The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2022 as the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). In a planet torn apart by conflicts and inequalities and on the verge of an environmental crisis, basic science is emerging as a universal language and a powerful engine of sustainable development. Basic science is intrinsically transnational and research collaborations are expanding thanks to the establishment of large international scientific infrastructures and other global initiatives.
I will discuss the role that basic sciences, and especially physics, can have on sustainable development and describe global initiatives that support these endeavours. These include those of the IYBSSD's leading organisation, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), and those of my own organisation, ICTP.
