Interactive Dialogue on Harnessing Emerging

Summary of Discussion (Advance Unedited Version)

Keynote speakers included H.E. Eduardo Campos, Minister of Science and Technology of Brazil; Honorable Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Minister of Trade, Commerce & Consumer Affairs of Sri Lanka; Dr. Derek Hanekom, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of South Africa; Ambassador Walter Lichem, Director–General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria; and Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Vice-Chairperson of the United Nations ICT Task Force.  The Round Table was moderated by Prof. Calestous Jume, Chair of the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation. 

Speakers reaffirmed that the application of science and technology, building upon local knowledge, skills, and materials, is central in facilitating the achievement of most MDGs, especially in such areas as combating poverty, improving the lives of women, and combating diseases, and that most developing countries are unlikely to meet the MDGs without making science and technology top priorities on their development agenda.

Tackling poverty through applications of sciences and technology does not necessarily require more knowledge generation.  More importantly, the international community needs to address the institutional gap between knowledge generating institutions and international policy-making.  One speaker pointed out that at the inter-governmental level, institutions of knowledge creation lack points of contacts within the United Nations system.  There is no equivalent of, for example, a Global Compact for the scientific community that would allow it to be represented in the policy-making processes at the global level.  This has led to the marginalization of science and technology on the international agenda.  Speakers called for mechanisms, such as the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, to create networks and linkages to the political agenda and to bring scientific knowledge to inform international decision-making.

Speakers underscored the importance for developing countries to strengthen indigenous scientific and technological capabilities, through increased investment in science education at all levels, and adapt public universities and research institutions to make them relevant to development.  They also highlighted the important role of scientific research, technological innovation, technology transfer, and technical cooperation in the building of science and technology capabilities.

Science advice in most developing countries tends to be ad hoc and non-central to the decision-making process.  It is therefore important to institutionalize science advice, including through the creation of science advisory bodies to ensure that government makes decisions based on sound science and that science is used as a tool for development by anticipating and minimizing risks and capitalizing on opportunities. 

Several speakers underlined the importance of effective harnessing of simple and mature technologies to serve development needs, while reiterating that promoting the development and application of new and emerging technologies, most notably biotechnology ICTs and nanotechnology, will both reduce the cost and increase the likelihood of attaining the MDGs. 

On the issue of technology transfer, one speaker observed that whilst the TRIPS agreement of the WTO has clearly defined disciplines on intellectual property rights (IPRs), it contains only a goodwill statement which "encourages" developed countries to transfer technology, without a binding discipline.  In this context, the relevant clause in the TRIPS agreement should be revisited to make it more development-friendly.

Speakers also noted with concern the underinvestment in development-related R&D. More and more research is directed for profits rather than solving the problems that are the banes of humanity; 90 per cent of the world’s diseases receive a mere 10% of total R&D expenditure. 

Given the global inequality in income, truly sustainable development can only be ensured through democratic participation of all nations in science and technology governance and cannot be left to the highly idealized concept of the “market”.  Equitable health care can only come from new models of R&D in the field of health.  The international community was called on to explore ways of conducting research and development that are not market-driven.

Speakers also shared national experiences in mobilizing science and technology for social and economic development.  The recently drafted industrial and technology policy of Brazil focused on national systems of innovation, and also technology development, especially in such areas as materials, information and communication technologies (ICTs), and nanotechnology, as effective tools for poverty alleviation.  The government of Sri Lanka has recently established an Information and Communication Technology Agency, the mandate of which is to implement an "e-Sri Lanka Road Map", a comprehensive, nation-wide ICT strategy.  One key objective of this strategy is to ensure that networking is expanded to the rural areas of the country, and encourage the use of innovative technology solutions, such as solar-powered stations to connect small isolated communities.  Recognizing that a strong human resource base is crucial in technology development, adaptation, and diffusion, Sri Lanka has embarked on a program to rapidly expand private and public sector education in ICTs. 

The government of South Africa has set up a comprehensive and ambitious program with concrete targets on the provision of clean running water, basic sanitation, and housing.  In addition, it will invest more than 15 billion dollars in infrastructure over the next ten years.  Innovation and the use of new technologies, in particular, biotechnology, ICT, and advanced manufacturing, will play a vital role in the implementation of these plans.  A government program has also been set up to transform government poverty relief programs into community-driven, economically viable, and sustainable enterprises by transferring technologies to small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).  While striving to meet basic needs, the government has also identified a number of areas where it has competitive advantage for further development.  In this respect, it aims to take advantage of its geographic advantage and turn Southern Africa into a region of excellence in space technology and astronomy. The government is currently in the process of reviewing its policies to effect a shift from technology transfer to technology partnership, with the recognition that more attention should be directed to education, which will help build up human capacity in not only the adoption and mastery of technology, but also the capacity in innovation and technology development.  South Africa is also planning to assess implementation of the recommendations related to science and technology that have emerged from the Johannesburg Summit a few years ago.  International organizations, such as UNCTAD, will be called on to participate in this exercise.