This is the thirteenth in the series of Solar-Terrestrial Physics Symposia organized by the Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) and held approximately every four years. SCOSTEP is engaged in three activities: long-term scientific programs, capacity building, and public outreach. The scientific programs are designed to advance our understanding of the solar terrestrial relationship using space- and ground-based data, cutting-edge models, and theory. SCOSTEP programs are thus of interdisciplinary nature and involve scientists from all over the world. In 2013, the Climate and Weather in the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES) program ended, and the new program known as the Variability of the Sun and Its terrestrial Impact (VarSITI) started. The underlying theme of SCOSTEP scientific programs is the way Sun affects Earth over various time scales. The VarSITI program expands the solar terrestrial physics to a broader context to star-planet interaction, which might further our scientific understanding of Sun-Earth connection. This Symposium, known as STP13 for short, will highlight results obtained during the CAWSES program and the new results from the VarSITI program. The scientific sessions of STP13 feature the chains of physical processes that operate in the solar terrestrial domain. These are: (i) the mass chain in the form of plasmas and particles emitted from the Sun, (ii) the electromagnetic radiation chain in the form irradiance (total and spectral) and flare emissions, and (iii) the intra-atmospheric chain representing energy flow from Earth into space. The processes considered include the generation of energy in the interior of the Sun and near Earth and its flow in various directions. In particular the symposium will address recent advances in solar dynamo theory and predictions of the future solar activity, long-term variations of solar activity and their impact on terrestrial climate, and the origin and probability of solar extreme events. Finally, a one-day workshop session will be held to analyze the data collected during the MiniMax24 campaign.