Caribean Community (CARICOM)
Please Check Against Delivery
STATEMENT
by
Ms. Rueanna Haynes
Second Secretary
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
To the United Nations
Workshop 4
The way forward: Strengthening the international architecture
for clean and environmentally sound technology development,
transfer and dissemination
✺✺✺✺✺✺
United Nations Headquarters
31 May, 2013
2
I speak on behalf of the fourteen (14) Member States of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM). CARICOM aligns itself with the statement made
by Fiji on behalf of the G77 and China.
We wish to commend the Secretary General for the report submitted on
“Options for a facilitation mechanism that promotes the development,
transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound
technologies”, contained in document A/67/348 and endorse the
recommendations contained therein for the establishment of a global
technology facilitation mechanism.
In our view such a mechanism must promote the widespread
dissemination of environmentally sound technologies; enhance the
capacity of developing countries in the areas of research and
development; and address the needs of countries in special situations
such as Small Island Developing States which, as a result of our small
size, limited resources, remoteness and limited economies of scale, have
fallen into that category of countries referred to in the Secretary General’s
report as having been increasingly marginalized despite the development
success of other countries. It is correct to say that SIDS are structurally
disadvantaged and as such have not been able to sustain an environment
that is readily attractive to investments in research and development and
technology dissemination.
At the same time, SIDS would wish to propose an alternate view of how
SIDS can be pilots for the promotion and development of new
technologies. The small size and micro markets present in SIDS, although
a challenge in most cases, also constitute potential advantages in the field
of technology as a result of their high potential for rapid dissemination of
new technologies. The promotion of SIDS as testing grounds for the
development of new technologies could be achieved through public/private
partnerships, which in turn could be promoted and managed throughout a
global technology mechanism network. In this way a global technology
mechanism could assist SIDS to attract investment for the development of
new technologies.
Mr. Moderator,
Notwithstanding the many challenges we face, SIDS have been successful
in finding their own innovative tools for attracting investment for
development of transfer of environmentally sustainable technologies. The
SIDS Dock renewable energy platform is one such example, but much
3
more work and greater support from the international community is
required if our sustainable development objectives are to be realized.
In developing countries with significant resource and capacity constraints,
such as those in our sub-region, monitoring and evaluation of these
fragmented, usually sector or agency specific activities, is for the most part
impossible. Moreover, any effective aggregate assessment of the impact of
these initiatives on the overall sustainable development aspirations of our
States has, in the majority of cases, never been achieved.
A global technology facilitation mechanism administered through the
United Nations system with inter-governmental oversight must address the
fragmentation in the approach to technology development and transfer
which is evident in the sector of environmentally sound technologies. As is
highlighted in the Secretary General’s report almost every UN Agency,
Fund, Programme and several Treaty Bodies have developed work
programmes in the field of technology transfer/ dissemination or
development. In addition to these initiatives, countries also engage in a
number of bilateral or cooperative projects in the field of technology
transfer with a view to meeting international obligations where they exist.
This state of affairs underscores the importance of a global technology
mechanism, which would promote coordination and coherence, provide
information on a centralized basis and which would also assist States with
ensuring that stronger linkages are made between the type of technology
assistance that is provided and national development priorities.
Mr. Moderator,
Coordination is a key concern for CARICOM States as it relates to the
development of a new global technology mechanism. The Secretary
General’s report acknowledges the similarities between many of the
proposals for the activities of such a mechanism and the activities that are
already carried out in the context of the Technology Executive Committee
under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In
establishing a new mechanism we must ensure that it is able to target
specific gaps in the treatment of technology development and transfer at
the global level and not duplicate the work which has already been done or
which is still underway in other similar bodies.
In this regard, we also note that the Technology Mechanism recently
established under the UNFCCC in 2010 to facilitate the implementation of
enhanced action on technology development and transfer in order to
4
support action on mitigation and adaptation to climate change is in the
process of beginning its work. The potential of this and other mechanisms
to address the technology needs of developing countries as it relates to
sustainable development must be adequately taken into account in
developing a global technology mechanism. The experiences from these
initiatives must be gathered and built upon in designing a new mechanism.
We look forward to receiving the summary of the outcomes of these
workshops and hope that they will move us forward in addressing the
global under-performance in leveraging the transformative potential of the
effective development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies.
I thank you
STATEMENT
by
Ms. Rueanna Haynes
Second Secretary
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
To the United Nations
Workshop 4
The way forward: Strengthening the international architecture
for clean and environmentally sound technology development,
transfer and dissemination
✺✺✺✺✺✺
United Nations Headquarters
31 May, 2013
2
I speak on behalf of the fourteen (14) Member States of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM). CARICOM aligns itself with the statement made
by Fiji on behalf of the G77 and China.
We wish to commend the Secretary General for the report submitted on
“Options for a facilitation mechanism that promotes the development,
transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound
technologies”, contained in document A/67/348 and endorse the
recommendations contained therein for the establishment of a global
technology facilitation mechanism.
In our view such a mechanism must promote the widespread
dissemination of environmentally sound technologies; enhance the
capacity of developing countries in the areas of research and
development; and address the needs of countries in special situations
such as Small Island Developing States which, as a result of our small
size, limited resources, remoteness and limited economies of scale, have
fallen into that category of countries referred to in the Secretary General’s
report as having been increasingly marginalized despite the development
success of other countries. It is correct to say that SIDS are structurally
disadvantaged and as such have not been able to sustain an environment
that is readily attractive to investments in research and development and
technology dissemination.
At the same time, SIDS would wish to propose an alternate view of how
SIDS can be pilots for the promotion and development of new
technologies. The small size and micro markets present in SIDS, although
a challenge in most cases, also constitute potential advantages in the field
of technology as a result of their high potential for rapid dissemination of
new technologies. The promotion of SIDS as testing grounds for the
development of new technologies could be achieved through public/private
partnerships, which in turn could be promoted and managed throughout a
global technology mechanism network. In this way a global technology
mechanism could assist SIDS to attract investment for the development of
new technologies.
Mr. Moderator,
Notwithstanding the many challenges we face, SIDS have been successful
in finding their own innovative tools for attracting investment for
development of transfer of environmentally sustainable technologies. The
SIDS Dock renewable energy platform is one such example, but much
3
more work and greater support from the international community is
required if our sustainable development objectives are to be realized.
In developing countries with significant resource and capacity constraints,
such as those in our sub-region, monitoring and evaluation of these
fragmented, usually sector or agency specific activities, is for the most part
impossible. Moreover, any effective aggregate assessment of the impact of
these initiatives on the overall sustainable development aspirations of our
States has, in the majority of cases, never been achieved.
A global technology facilitation mechanism administered through the
United Nations system with inter-governmental oversight must address the
fragmentation in the approach to technology development and transfer
which is evident in the sector of environmentally sound technologies. As is
highlighted in the Secretary General’s report almost every UN Agency,
Fund, Programme and several Treaty Bodies have developed work
programmes in the field of technology transfer/ dissemination or
development. In addition to these initiatives, countries also engage in a
number of bilateral or cooperative projects in the field of technology
transfer with a view to meeting international obligations where they exist.
This state of affairs underscores the importance of a global technology
mechanism, which would promote coordination and coherence, provide
information on a centralized basis and which would also assist States with
ensuring that stronger linkages are made between the type of technology
assistance that is provided and national development priorities.
Mr. Moderator,
Coordination is a key concern for CARICOM States as it relates to the
development of a new global technology mechanism. The Secretary
General’s report acknowledges the similarities between many of the
proposals for the activities of such a mechanism and the activities that are
already carried out in the context of the Technology Executive Committee
under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In
establishing a new mechanism we must ensure that it is able to target
specific gaps in the treatment of technology development and transfer at
the global level and not duplicate the work which has already been done or
which is still underway in other similar bodies.
In this regard, we also note that the Technology Mechanism recently
established under the UNFCCC in 2010 to facilitate the implementation of
enhanced action on technology development and transfer in order to
4
support action on mitigation and adaptation to climate change is in the
process of beginning its work. The potential of this and other mechanisms
to address the technology needs of developing countries as it relates to
sustainable development must be adequately taken into account in
developing a global technology mechanism. The experiences from these
initiatives must be gathered and built upon in designing a new mechanism.
We look forward to receiving the summary of the outcomes of these
workshops and hope that they will move us forward in addressing the
global under-performance in leveraging the transformative potential of the
effective development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies.
I thank you
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