The 2nd Global Evidence Summit brings together people from around the world to enhance evidence-based practices, foster collaboration, understand and influence policy decisions. Taking place in Prague from 10-13 September 2024 (with pre-summit meetings on 9 September), the event offers a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural platform for sharing ideas in diverse forms with 526 oral presentations, 59 workshops, 6 plenaries, 1 public debate on AI and so on.

Our postdoc researcher Honghong attended the conference and had some reflections on the conference. The international community set 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, but with 84% currently off track and only 33% of the time left, we must urgently ask how to achieve them. Developing an evidence-synthesis ecosystem that addresses trade-offs (like poverty vs. biodiversity), global imbalances, and duplication—while using frameworks like IRIS and trustworthy AI—can strengthen the quality and impact of research. Finally, researchers must turn evidence into practice, inform policy via storytelling and collaboration, and re-evaluate counterproductive practices to advance the SDGs.