The SFSA 2021 will also be a preparatory event for South Africa’s hosting of the World Science Forum in 2022 – which will take place in Cape Town from 5 to 9 December 2022. The theme for the WSF 2022 “Science for Social Justice” will therefore receive special attention at the SFSA 2021, especially with regard to the contribution of science diplomacy. With our world confronted with the health, social and economic challenges of COVID-19, the need to ensure a just transition in responding to climate change, and the imperative to defeat global poverty and inequality, we are convinced that the debate at SFSA 2021 will be as important as ever.