Sixty-first General Assembly

Second Committee

Interactive Dialogue (AM)

regional economic commission heads stress importance of boosting capacity

for innovation as second committee holds interactive discussion

Right Partnerships with Universities, Business Essential, Delegates Told

Even in the face of stringent intellectual property-rights regimes, which often barred their access to cutting-edge know-how, developing societies could still increase their capacity for innovation if they learned “to do the right things right”, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) delegates heard this morning during an interactive dialogue with the heads of the five United Nations regional commissions on the role of innovation, science and technology in the development process.

José Luis Machinea, Executive Secretary to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and moderator of the dialogue, stressed the essential importance of technology foresight to development, noting, however, that given the low investment in research and development typical of developing countries struggling to meet more basic needs, the right partnerships, such as with research universities and private-sector firms, were critical.

Marek Belka, Executive Secretary to the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), joined his fellow panellists in stressing the need to leverage what resources developing countries already had, no matter how meagre.  “The focus needs to be on assimilating technology and creating new low-tech products, and not necessarily creating new technology,” he added.  That was particularly true for poorer countries experiencing, or just emerging from, conflict, including some in Eastern Europe.  States should focus on developing policies that encouraged businesses and research institutions to make better use of technology to create new products and then commercialize them.

But he and other Executive Secretaries were mindful that intellectual property rights -- designed to spur innovation -- could actually hamper the spread of knowledge because they turned design ideas or business techniques into private property.  Kim Hak-su, Executive Secretary to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), spoke of two approaches used in that region to obtain know-how from its developed partners.  Companies in the Republic of Korea often signed technology-licensing agreements with European and American companies, so that a royalty was paid for the use of certain production-line techniques.  Chinese firms preferred foreign investment, a more direct way to bring technology into their country.

But, as one delegate stressed on taking the floor, care must be taken to find the right partners.  Although many countries had formal science and technology plans, innovation systems were small and fragmented.  In Africa, for example, few countries had the minimum number of scientists required for the functioning of a scientific discipline.

Reinforcing that point, Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), explained that most of the continent’s research in cutting-edge subjects like space science, psychology and neuroscience were concentrated in South Africa, and chemistry and material sciences in Egypt.  Nigeria was the main producer of agricultural research.  “As the role of knowledge in promoting human progress becomes more important, so does the question ‘Who has access to that knowledge?’” Mr. Janneh said, adding that it was clear the African countries must strengthen mechanisms to broaden knowledge.  Working collaboratively with the other regional commissions was important in Africa’s case.

Mervat Tellawy, Executive Secretary to the Economic Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said that regional body was currently leading work to create “smart knowledge hubs” so that knowledge could be better organized and shared.

However, another delegate said some regional commissions needed to improve their coordination with each other, as well as with United Nations specialized agencies, and that the subject would be pursued further during the Second Committee’s upcoming discussion of the High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence, in which the commissions were encouraged to take part.

Responding to that point, Ms. Tellawy said: “If this dialogue increases the bond between regional commission and Member States of the Second Committee, we are happy to see more of these dialogues.”  The purpose of such interaction was to help countries in their development process.  The progress of each regional commission was sometimes measured without regard to its particular contexts.  “With ESCWA, for example, you are talking about Beirut, not Geneva or Vienna,” she said, reminding delegates that the commission’s staff had been evacuated from that city as recently as July.

Also addressing delegates today was Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, who touched briefly on the Secretary-General’s report on the role of innovation, science and technology in pursuing development in the context of globalization (document A/61/286).  The Second Committee would consider that report during its discussion on globalization and interdependence, due to take place tomorrow.

Established by the Economic and Social Council, the five United Nations regional commissions assist and support developing countries in a variety of economic and social concerns, including following up on global conferences and facilitating regional, South-South and interregional cooperation.

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For information media • not an official record