Benin
_____________________________________________________________________________
125 East 38th Street, New York NY 10016 - Tel: 212 684 1339 - Fax: 212 684 2058
Email: beninewyork@gmail.com
SIXTY SEVENTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
*******
Consultative Workshops
on
“Development Transfer and Dissemination of Clean and environmentally
sound technology in Developing Countries”
STATEMENT
BY
H.E.MR. JEAN -FRANCIS R. ZINSOU
AMBASSADOR PERMANENT REPRESENTANTATIVE OF BENIN
TO THE UNITED NATIONS,
CHAIR OF THE GLOBAL COORDINATION BUREAU OF LDCs
NEW YORK, 30 April 2013
Permanent Mission of
the Republic of Benin
to the United Nations
Mission Permanente
de la République du Bénin auprès
des Nations Unies
2
Mr President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of LDCs.
This statement is complementing the statement previously made by H. E. Ambassador Peter
THOMSON, Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, Chairman of the Group of 77
and China.
Mr President,
I will begin by congratulating you for convening these workshops according to the General
Assembly Resolution 67/203.
At multilateral level, the problem of technology transfer is a major concern for developing
countries in general and particularly for the LDCs.
The LDCs are facing today many challenges while lagging behind with respect to access to
technology and innovation required for their structural transformation and development. Least
developed countries have often not been able to move beyond outdated technologies that
characterize their production processes and outputs.
They need to get new technologies, build domestic capacity and a knowledge base to be able
to fully utilize acquired technologies while promoting indigenous capacity on a sustainable basis for
research and development, to enhance their productive capacities.
Furthermore, development of this sector should help to bridge the digital divide and
technology gap in support of rapid poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Though the problem of technology transfer has been addressed for many years through
many conferences and within many noteworthy institutions such as WIPO, WTO, UNEP, UNIDO,
UNFCCC and UNCTAD, we have not seen much progress being made to solve this issue.
Science and technology are becoming increasingly relevant for enhancing productivity in
order to create decent jobs, food security, developing the green economy etc. Serious resource
constraints impede the ability of LDCs to make necessary investment in R&D which can generate
new technologies for themselves. Research and development expenditure as a percentage of GDP is
extremely low in the majority of LDCs.
Furthermore, the low level of FDI and trade, as well as lack of domestic environment,
constrains LDCs to draw full benefit from the market mechanism of technology transfer. The
absorptive capacity of LDCs to use and adapt to advanced technology is also limited. This requires
education, training and infrastructure. For example incentives by developed countries to facilitate
technology transfer to LDCs should include training programmes.
3
The Istanbul Declaration and Programme of Action put a lot of emphasis on the transfer of
technology to LDCs in various areas. The Istanbul Declaration agreed to promote access of least
developed countries to knowledge, information, technology and know-how and to support the least
developed countries in improving their scientific and innovative capacity needed for their structural
transformation.
The IPoA has access to technology as a cross-cutting theme, calling for technology transfer in
all its areas. For example it calls on development partners to support least developed countries’
efforts to facilitate the transfer of relevant skills, knowledge and technology for the development of
infrastructure under mutually agreed terms.
The IPoA called on all stakeholders to undertake on a priority basis by 2013, a joint gap and
capacity analysis with the aim of establishing a technology Bank and Science, technology and
innovation supporting mechanism dedicated to least developed countries which would help
improve LDCs scientific and research base, promote networking among researchers and research
institutions. It even went so far as to define specifically what each of the stakeholders should do in
the pursuit of the goals set forth above.
The IPoA aims at facilitating the transfer of appropriate and affordable technology for the
development of clean and renewable energy technologies and at supporting the development of
science and technology to increase agricultural production and productivity, especially providing
least developed countries with high-yielding and climate-resilient crop varieties, including saline-,
drought- and submersion-compatible species, through transfer of appropriate technology and
technical know-how. Similar provisions on technology and know-how transfer apply to education,
health and other areas.
The outcome of the Conference of Rio+ 20 clearly stressed from paragraph 269 to paragraph
273 the need of technology transfer from developed countries to developing countries in order to
facilitate the pursuit and the achievement of sustainable development goals.
Both North-South and South-South cooperation are called to support transfer of appropriate
technology to LDCs but also increase their capacities to meet their sanitary and packaging standard.
For the Group of the LDCs, it is very clear today that without access to new technologies, the
member countries would not be able to supply the need of their growing populations and their
aspiration for a better life, nor won’t they be able to face the threat of climate change
consequences (need of mitigation and adaptation) or promote green economy.
We hope that these workshops will result in substantive conclusions on the issue of
technology transfer for the benefit of all because with the increasing challenges and threats, it is a
matter of survival not only for developing countries or LDCs but for the whole world.
I thank you.
125 East 38th Street, New York NY 10016 - Tel: 212 684 1339 - Fax: 212 684 2058
Email: beninewyork@gmail.com
SIXTY SEVENTH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
*******
Consultative Workshops
on
“Development Transfer and Dissemination of Clean and environmentally
sound technology in Developing Countries”
STATEMENT
BY
H.E.MR. JEAN -FRANCIS R. ZINSOU
AMBASSADOR PERMANENT REPRESENTANTATIVE OF BENIN
TO THE UNITED NATIONS,
CHAIR OF THE GLOBAL COORDINATION BUREAU OF LDCs
NEW YORK, 30 April 2013
Permanent Mission of
the Republic of Benin
to the United Nations
Mission Permanente
de la République du Bénin auprès
des Nations Unies
2
Mr President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Group of LDCs.
This statement is complementing the statement previously made by H. E. Ambassador Peter
THOMSON, Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations, Chairman of the Group of 77
and China.
Mr President,
I will begin by congratulating you for convening these workshops according to the General
Assembly Resolution 67/203.
At multilateral level, the problem of technology transfer is a major concern for developing
countries in general and particularly for the LDCs.
The LDCs are facing today many challenges while lagging behind with respect to access to
technology and innovation required for their structural transformation and development. Least
developed countries have often not been able to move beyond outdated technologies that
characterize their production processes and outputs.
They need to get new technologies, build domestic capacity and a knowledge base to be able
to fully utilize acquired technologies while promoting indigenous capacity on a sustainable basis for
research and development, to enhance their productive capacities.
Furthermore, development of this sector should help to bridge the digital divide and
technology gap in support of rapid poverty eradication and sustainable development.
Though the problem of technology transfer has been addressed for many years through
many conferences and within many noteworthy institutions such as WIPO, WTO, UNEP, UNIDO,
UNFCCC and UNCTAD, we have not seen much progress being made to solve this issue.
Science and technology are becoming increasingly relevant for enhancing productivity in
order to create decent jobs, food security, developing the green economy etc. Serious resource
constraints impede the ability of LDCs to make necessary investment in R&D which can generate
new technologies for themselves. Research and development expenditure as a percentage of GDP is
extremely low in the majority of LDCs.
Furthermore, the low level of FDI and trade, as well as lack of domestic environment,
constrains LDCs to draw full benefit from the market mechanism of technology transfer. The
absorptive capacity of LDCs to use and adapt to advanced technology is also limited. This requires
education, training and infrastructure. For example incentives by developed countries to facilitate
technology transfer to LDCs should include training programmes.
3
The Istanbul Declaration and Programme of Action put a lot of emphasis on the transfer of
technology to LDCs in various areas. The Istanbul Declaration agreed to promote access of least
developed countries to knowledge, information, technology and know-how and to support the least
developed countries in improving their scientific and innovative capacity needed for their structural
transformation.
The IPoA has access to technology as a cross-cutting theme, calling for technology transfer in
all its areas. For example it calls on development partners to support least developed countries’
efforts to facilitate the transfer of relevant skills, knowledge and technology for the development of
infrastructure under mutually agreed terms.
The IPoA called on all stakeholders to undertake on a priority basis by 2013, a joint gap and
capacity analysis with the aim of establishing a technology Bank and Science, technology and
innovation supporting mechanism dedicated to least developed countries which would help
improve LDCs scientific and research base, promote networking among researchers and research
institutions. It even went so far as to define specifically what each of the stakeholders should do in
the pursuit of the goals set forth above.
The IPoA aims at facilitating the transfer of appropriate and affordable technology for the
development of clean and renewable energy technologies and at supporting the development of
science and technology to increase agricultural production and productivity, especially providing
least developed countries with high-yielding and climate-resilient crop varieties, including saline-,
drought- and submersion-compatible species, through transfer of appropriate technology and
technical know-how. Similar provisions on technology and know-how transfer apply to education,
health and other areas.
The outcome of the Conference of Rio+ 20 clearly stressed from paragraph 269 to paragraph
273 the need of technology transfer from developed countries to developing countries in order to
facilitate the pursuit and the achievement of sustainable development goals.
Both North-South and South-South cooperation are called to support transfer of appropriate
technology to LDCs but also increase their capacities to meet their sanitary and packaging standard.
For the Group of the LDCs, it is very clear today that without access to new technologies, the
member countries would not be able to supply the need of their growing populations and their
aspiration for a better life, nor won’t they be able to face the threat of climate change
consequences (need of mitigation and adaptation) or promote green economy.
We hope that these workshops will result in substantive conclusions on the issue of
technology transfer for the benefit of all because with the increasing challenges and threats, it is a
matter of survival not only for developing countries or LDCs but for the whole world.
I thank you.
Stakeholders