GA/EF/2916

IMPORTANCE OF ACCESS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES STRESSED DURING SECOND COMMITTEE DISCUSSION

Access for developing countries to new information technologies was vital for them to derive maximum benefit from globalization, the representative of France told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it began its consideration of science and technology.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, he said that the explosion of information technology could make a useful contribution to getting southern countries �off the ground�. The European Union recognized the role that information technology could play to help deliver the broader development objectives, for example in the health and education sectors. The Union was ready to work with developing countries to strengthen their capacities in those areas.

The representative of Namibia, speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community, said that the emerging global partnership between developed and developing countries would provide an enabling environment in which access to and transfer of technology to the developing countries could take place. Once information and communication technologies were well integrated into the macroeconomic policy framework of developing countries, the new digital revolution would be able to provide sufficient leverage for the countries of the South to participate meaningfully in the global economy.

India�s representative said that contemporary literature on the development of a knowledge-based society tended to portray the South as a technology- deficient zone. It was indeed true that the rapid pace of scientific advances and technological change was increasing the disparity between the North and South. However, this completely ignored the extent to which technological capacities had been built up in the South over the last two decades. India was not only developing its capacities in the field of information technology at par with the developed nations, but was also simultaneously pursuing the mammoth social objective of information technology for all by 2008.

The representative of Colombia, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said that the technological changes driving the current process of globalization were transforming the social and economic lives of all countries. There was now a doubling of Internet traffic every three months. Statistics indicated that by the year 2001 there would be 700 million users of the Internet system worldwide.

Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2916 9th Meeting (PM) 6 October 2000

The Rio Group believed that the success of the information technology revolution would be measured by the effectiveness of its contribution towards poverty eradication.

Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community, the representative of Barbados said that the developments in computer science and information technology were the motors driving the new economy and the forces of globalization. Information and knowledge were fast becoming the dominant trading items and for the first time in history, small nations capable of doing so could position themselves to leapfrog the development process. It was compelling that it had taken 38 years for radio and 13 years for television to reach the same number of people that had tapped into the Internet in a mere four years.

The representative of Nigeria, speaking on behalf of the �Group of 77� developing countries and China, said that the Group was concerned that most developing countries had been left far behind in knowledge generation and its application to new areas of industry. With their modest investment in research, the developing countries found it difficult to keep pace with profound developments in science and technology. As a result, he noted, the disparity between them and developed countries had emerged as a major problem facing the international community.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Pakistan, Ghana, Russian Federation, Brazil, Belarus, Ukraine and the Republic of Korea. A representative from UNCTAD introduced the report.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. on Monday, 9 October, to conclude its general discussion on science and technology and then it will begin consideration of operational activities for development.

Second Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/EF/2916 9th Meeting (PM) 6 October 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to consider science and technology for development.

The Committee had before it the report of the Secretary-General on proposals for strengthening the coordination of mechanisms on the Commission on Science and Technology for Development within the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development with the objective of promoting complementarity of activities within the United Nations system (document A/55/96-E/2000/84). The report reviews initiatives taken by various bodies in the system to establish electronic networks as a means to achieve coordination in the area of science and technology policy. It concludes with a proposal to set up a knowledge and technology for development network, and points out the need for adequate resources to make it work effectively.

According to the report, one way to make the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) a knowledge-based organization is to establish a knowledge and technology for development network both internally (via the Internet) and externally through the setting up of an inter-linkage of relevant United Nations bodies system-wide. The aim of the network would be to improve information-sharing, by providing access to the latest and relevant information on science and technology for development, as well as linkage to information on science and technology activities of relevant United Nations bodies, including the regional commissions.

Another aim would be knowledge-diffusion, by providing information and identifying best practices with respect to mechanisms, strategies and channels needed to promote technology transfer, diffusion and adaptation and capacity- building. Further, the network would generate ideas by getting feedback on how to enhance the capability of UNCTAD and the Commission to address relevant issues in the field of science and technology for development.

The report states that for the network to be well-designed, function efficiently and have a visible impact on the coordination of science and technology activities within the system, additional resources need to be allocated to UNCTAD to create, design, implement and operate the network. Current staff do not have either the time or the necessary technical skills.

Also before the Committee was a note by the Secretariat on progress made in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 54/201, on science and technology for development (document A/55/413). In that resolution, the Assembly recognized the role of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development in coordinating the activities of the United Nations system in the area of science and technology for development; emphasized the importance of the activities to be pursued within the framework of the Commission and encouraged support for those undertakings; and requested the Secretary-General to submit to the Assembly proposals for strengthening the coordination of mechanisms on the Commission within UNCTAD to ensure coordination on the various efforts and activities in the area of new and innovative technologies.

That report with the Secretary-General�s proposals was submitted as document A/55/96-E/2000/84. A more detailed report on progress made will be prepared following the fifth session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, which will be held in Geneva in the spring of 2001, and submitted to the Assembly at its next session.

Introduction of Reports

ODYEK AGONA, a representative of UNCTAD, introduced the report on science and technology. He said the report summarized previous discussions in the Commission on Science and Technology for Development on the issues of coordination, and presented a number of proposals for strengthening it. It also highlighted the steps to be taken by UNCTAD to create an electronic network and information exchange system relating to science and technology for development as a means to strengthen coordination and synergy and to improve information-sharing and diffusion and the generation of ideas within the United Nations system and among all players, including the private sector. Work had already begun on the network.

There were three areas in which UNCTAD had already provided support and could further strengthen its work, he said. The first was intellectual property rights, which had a direct bearing on the transfer of technology. The second area was environmentally sound technologies and their interface with trade and development. The third area was information and communication technologies and their application in the area of trade. At the institutional level, UNCTAD would encounter some challenges in adapting to new demands as a result of rapid advances in science and technology and the need to narrow the gap in the benefits therefrom.

Daniel Le Gargasson (France), speaking on behalf of the European Union, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey and Norway, said that technology transfer was essential to help improve the national scientific and industrial capacity of developing countries. The European Union supported commercial practices which enabled the rapid dissemination of technologies, specifically to developing countries. Such countries had to establish their own legislative and regulatory frameworks to attract private investment and to protect intellectual property.

Access for developing countries to new information technologies was vital for them to derive maximum benefit from globalization. The explosion of information technology could make a useful contribution to getting southern countries off the ground. It was therefore urgent that the United Nations, in cooperation with other international and regional organizations and with the private sector, take steps to counter the digital divide. It was in that field that most of the work needed to be done.

The European Union recognized the role that information technology could play to help deliver the broader development objectives, for example in the health and education sectors. Science and technology could play a decisive role in improving the food and health situation in developing countries. The Union was ready to work with developing countries to strengthen their capacities in these areas and to encourage research and development, as well as data and information sharing in biotechnologies, which was adapted to their specific conditions.

OSITADINMA ANAEDU (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the �Group of 77� developing countries and China, said that the Group was concerned that most developing countries had been left far behind in knowledge generation and its application to new areas of industry, which provided rapid returns in income and national wealth. With their modest investment in research, the developing countries found it difficult to keep pace with profound developments in science and technology. As a result, the disparity between them and developed countries had emerged as a major problem facing the international community. The increasing gap between developed and developing countries had become one of the major causes of increasing income gap and imbalance in the flow of financial resources and investment.

The United Nations seemed ill-equipped to handle the current challenges in science and technology, he said. The role of the Organization should therefore be urgently strengthened in order to enable it to engage effectively in the promotion of international cooperation in science and technology. Given the fact that science and technology was the driving force of the modern global economy, there was a need to restore the priority of that agenda item in the programme of the United Nations.

The Group, he said, recognized that advances in science and technology carried with them certain risks that were potentially destructive to the environment. Today, more than ever, science and technology were bound to exert major influence on the use of the Earth�s resources and the implementation of Agenda 21. The challenge before the Committee was to develop a strategy aimed at promoting the appropriate use of science and technology for sustainable development, particularly in developing countries.

ALFONSO VALDIVIESO (Colombia), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said that the technological changes driving the current process of globalization were transforming the social and economic lives of our countries, through the so-called digital revolution, which stimulated growth and placed a premium on the intellectual capacity of our countries.

There were three fundamental requirements for developing countries to become integrated into the global economy, he said. First, the expansion of the markets for products must be guaranteed. Second, development finance must be ensured. Third, the opportunities to transfer experiences in the field of science and technology from the developed to the developing countries. The international community, therefore, had to ensure that the middle income developing countries were integrated into the constantly changing global economy, in order to reduce the risk of being marginalized.

There was now a doubling of Internet traffic every three months, he said. Statistics indicated that by the year 2001 there would be 700 million users of the Internet system worldwide. The Rio Group believed that the success of the information technology revolution would be measured by the effectiveness of its contribution towards poverty eradication.

SHAMSHAD AHMAD (Pakistan) said that while the world was living in times of great opportunities, it was also a time of ignominious disparities. To ensure that the technological revolution benefited everyone, practical measures must be undertaken for the dissemination of knowledge and technologies to meet the basic needs of people. At the same time, the capacity of developing countries to utilize science and technology for development must be enhanced. That required action at both the national and international levels.

Countries from the South were launching initiatives to promote science and technology for development, he said. He noted that his Government had raised its budget allocation for that sector from 125 million to 15 billion rupees, and that a number of incentives including scholarships were being offered to promote science education.

He offered some specific measures to revitalize the role of the United Nations in the field of science and technology. The first was the allocation of sufficient resources from the regular budget to finance the activities of the United Nations system, particularly UNCTAD, focused on promoting science and technology for development. Second, the General Assembly should continue annual consideration of the issue to enable the United Nations to remain in step with the fast pace of technological developments. Third, UNCTAD, in collaboration with relevant United Nations bodies, should undertake a study to identify areas of potential partnerships between the United Nations and the private sector in promoting science and technology for development.

In addition, he continued, a comprehensive review of the TRIPS (Trade Related Intellectual Properties) agreement was needed. Concrete measures should be taken to operationalize articles 7 and 8 of the agreement, which facilitated access to, and dissemination and transfer of technologies. To fight underdevelopment and poverty, knowledge must be shared as a global good.

KWABENA OSEI-DANQUAH (Ghana) said his country shared the view that the purpose of the coordination of work in the area of science and technology should be to create synergies. In that regard, involving the United Nations in the panels of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development was the most effective way of institutionalizing the linkages in that area. Ghana noted the efforts made by the UNCTAD secretariat to establish electronic networks open to members of the Commission and others interested in science and technology for development.

A good case was made in the report for UNCTAD to become the linchpin for the knowledge and technology for development networks. The progressive staging of the various steps towards achieving a networked community involving all relevant actors was practical and realistic. His delegation urged support for the proposal by the firm Yet2.com to cooperate with UNCTAD. Supporting the proposals in the Secretary-General�s report constituted an early key test of the international community�s resolve to put science and technology at the service of development through information technology.

DMITRI I. MAKSIMYCHEV (Russian Federation) said that scientific and technological cooperation fell within the priorities of the United Nations. Consequently, the role of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development was bound to be extended and enlarged. The future efficiency of United Nations cooperation in designing and implementing policies would be decisive in allowing countries to have proper access to information and communication technologies. United Nations cooperation had to be efficient and effective when it came to designing policies.

In that context, he continued, the Commission had to intensify its activities, forge new partnerships, particularly with the private sector, and promote access of transitional and developing countries to new technologies, including ecologically- friendly technologies. The Commission must establish closer inter-agency linkages to remedy and update United Nations activities in the field of science and technology for development. The Commission�s role as coordinator for the United Nations system in the field of science and technology had to be strengthened. Also necessary was interaction between the Commission on Science and Technology for Development and the Commission on Sustainable Development on issues such as sustainable development and the introduction of ecologically-friendly technology.

DONNA FORDE (Barbados), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that the developments in pure science, computer science and information technology were the motors driving the new economy and the forces of globalization. Information and knowledge were fast becoming the dominant trading items and, for the first time in history, small nations capable of such trade could position themselves to leapfrog the development process. The United Nations system should continue to help developing countries rise to the challenge.

The Millennium Report of the Secretary-General underscored the rapidity with which the new technologies were spreading throughout the world. It was compelling that it had taken 38 years for radio and 13 years for television to reach the same number of people that had tapped into the Internet in a mere four years. This measurement of progress also served to exacerbate what the Secretary-General so appropriately described as the �yawning digital divide� which separated the developed country technology providers from the significant portion of the developing world that was still waiting for a dial tone.

The CARICOM and all developing countries needed support to build a solid foundation for economic and social development that would permit peoples everywhere to move forward. It was an opportune time for the Commission on Science and Technology for Development to play a more dynamic role in helping developing countries to strengthen their capacities in the area of science and technology The CARICOM looked forward to a close follow-up to that issue.

LUIZ TUPY CALDAS DE MOURA (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), said that the advent of science and technology had redefined many aspects of economic and social life. The promotion of development today was based on a new model, in which science and technology played an important role. Regional and national initiatives had been critical in that area. In his region, both governments and the private sector played an active role in the dissemination and application of science and technology. For the countries of MERCOSUR, that was the key for adapting to the new reality. It was not enough to obtain technology transfer; it was also important to take part in the information society.

Recently in Montevideo, he said, MERCOSUR countries had participated in a seminar entitled, �MERCOSUR in the 21st Century, Information Technology for Development and Integration�. Mechanisms must be created for training citizens and encouraging distance-learning practices. The use of information technology in public administration must be broadened, rendering it more efficient and transparent. He supported the creation of a task force on science and technology, as decided by the Economic and Social Council, which would be critical in mobilizing resources and identifying best practices in both developed and developing countries. Science and technology was critical in the search for development and must be used to create opportunities for all.

N.D. TIWARI, Member of Parliament of India, said that all the activities of the United Nations were woefully underfunded and, thereby, marginalized. Unless the Organization�s role in the development sphere was strengthened, its utility for the vast majority of the people in the developing world would be seriously compromised. His delegation hoped that the General Assembly would take a positive step on the request for additional resources contained in the report.

Contemporary literature on the development of a knowledge-based society tended to portray the South as a technology deficient zone, he said. It was indeed true that the rapid pace of scientific advances and technological change was increasing the disparity between the North and South. However, that completely ignored the extent to which technological capacities had been built up in the South over the last two decades. India was not only developing its capacities in the field of information technology at par with the developed nations, but was also simultaneously pursuing the mammoth social objective of information technology for all by 2008.

It was clear that, though important, information technology was no panacea for development problems. Apart from macro-level initiatives at the global and national levels, the international community must not lose sight of appropriate technologies that had the potential of promoting local community-based development. Prevailing inequalities and constraints of the global scenario, coupled with exponential growth in scientific and technical competence with developing countries, underlined more than ever the basis for broadening the scope of South-South cooperation.

ANDREI POPOV (Belarus) said that science and technology had become key factors in the transformation of the world. Full mastery of technology had become decisive in economic and social development. It was important to set priorities in the area of science and technology to promote development. Today, Belarus supported innovative practices that promoted economic and social development by encouraging cooperation among different enterprises and companies. It was essential to strengthen cooperation with the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, as well as with other agencies of the United Nations, in order to increase the scientific potential of developing countries and countries in transition.

He expressed satisfaction at the measures the Commission was taking to foster such cooperation, he said. Belarus had considerable scientific and technological capacity and was in favour of promoting scientific projects. A priority of State policy was to ensure interaction with other States and international organizations. It was appropriate that the relevant organizations assist developing countries, and countries with economies in transition, to build their own infrastructure in the areas of information and communication technologies. He was convinced that the Commission would maintain its essential role in the field of science and technology for development.

OLEKSII HOLUBOV (Ukraine) said that the global information revolution was redefining every sector and was vastly expanding the range of opportunities to generate innovative scientific research. According to some forecasts, information technology would soon become so inexpensive that most countries would be able to connect to the global information infrastructure. Unfortunately, not all the countries around the world had benefited equally in the transition to the information age. By all means, the vast majority of human activity related to information technology was concentrated in the industrialized world.

Today, the capacity of a country to achieve sustained economic growth and to integrate into the world economic system depended on the effectiveness of national policies and institutions in supporting the innovative technological transformations. Technological progress should be combined to create conditions under which all nations would participate in and benefit from the scientific and technological revolution. The delegation of the Ukraine appreciated the role of the United Nations system in streamlining and strengthening international cooperation in the field of science and technology. The international community also had a critically important supporting role to play in this field.

HAROLDT URIB (Namibia), speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said that the technological revolution taking place today in the developed countries was being driven by the application of new scientific instruments and innovative methods acquired through research and development. The volume of goods and services being transacted, as a result of those technologies, was astronomical. Those transactions had been estimated at $45 billion in value in 1998 and at over $7 trillion by the year 2004.

The SADC Sector Coordinating Science and Technology, at its meeting held in Botswana in June, had established a task force to formulate a strategy on the collection, organization and dissemination of scientific information in the region, he said. Since science and technology had interdisciplinary aspects, the transfer and diffusion would vary from country to country depending on, among other things, the primacy of development priorities. He had no doubt that the emerging global partnership between developed and developing countries would provide the enabling environment in which access to and transfer of technology to the developing countries could take place.

Once information and communication technologies were well integrated into the macroeconomic policy framework of developing countries, in addition to the systemic reform of the international financial architecture, the new digital revolution would be able to provide sufficient leverage for the countries of the South to participate meaningfully in the global economy. It was against that background that the SADC secretariat was directed to examine the possibility of expanding the concept of partnerships beyond the traditional notion of donors, to include new players in the global economy, such as the private sector, non-governmental organizations and other international institutions.

RIM SONG CHOL (Democratic People�s Republic of Korea) said that while the developed countries talked a lot about sustainable development of developing countries, they were not willing to transfer their science and technology or implement their commitments for official development assistance (ODA). The issue of transfer of science and technology must be settled in order to reach the target of reducing poverty as proposed during the Millennium Summit. It was important for developing countries to draw their own plans using science and technology for

economic development, along with creating their own industries, based on their own raw materials and resources. Also, attention should be given to South-South cooperation in the field of science and technology for development.

The developed countries must not pursue personal political purposes and economic profit through their monopolization of science and technology, he said. They should be of the view that science and technology were the common property of all and transfer them to the developing countries, as well as respect their ODA commitments. The role of the United Nations should be enhanced so as to accelerate the development of developing countries. At the same time, the international financial institutions should review their policies in order to help developing countries achieve sustainable development.

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