Major Group: Women
Women’s
Major
Group
Intervention
Sixth
OWG
on
SDG
December
9,
2013
By
Silvia
Ribeiro,
ETC
Group
On
Technology
Thank
you
Mr
Chair,
The
Women’s
Major
Group
draws
your
attention
to
the
fact
that
although
technological
change
has
contributed
significantly
to
recent
economic
growth,
benefits
have
accrued
to
the
wealthiest
sectors
in
industrialized
countries.
For
example,
77%
of
people
from
developed
countries
are
Internet
users,
while
only
31%
in
the
developing
world
are.
Women
are
generally
regarded
as
“recipients”
of
technology
products
but
are
marginalized
in
terms
of
decision-‐making
on
technology
developments.
Further,
all
new
technologies
are
controlled
by
few
transnational
corporations
in
each
sector
through
intellectual
property
and
market
dominance,
as
it
was
illustrated
by
Mr.
Martin
Khor
this
morning.
For
example,
10
companies
control
76%
of
commercial
seeds
market,
10
companies
control
95%
of
agrochemical
market,
and
6
of
them
control
100%
of
transgenic
seeds.
Powerful
new
technologies
that
have
large
potential
negative
environmental
and
health
impacts,
are
on
the
markets
without
any
evaluation
nor
regulation.
Therefore,
technology
transfer
can
end
being
dumping
of
untested
technologies
onto
developing
regions
In
order
for
technology
to
serve
sustainable
development,
any
SDG
goal
related
to
technology
must
be
formulated
to:
o Strengthen
recognition
and
ensure
use
of
indigenous
and
local
knowledge
systems
and
technologies.
o Ensure
that
developing
countries
have
equitable
access
to
environmentally
sound
technologies,
including
lifting
of
intellectual
property
barriers
o Increase
and
enable
the
active
participation
of
women
and
affected
groups
in
decision-‐making
throughout
all
stages
of
technology
development,
including
assessment.
o Establish
a
multilateral
mechanism
for
ecological,
social,
cultural,
and
economic
evaluation
of
technologies,
and
ban
technologies
that
can
damage
Earth
cycles,
such
as
geo-‐engineering.
Major
Group
Intervention
Sixth
OWG
on
SDG
December
9,
2013
By
Silvia
Ribeiro,
ETC
Group
On
Technology
Thank
you
Mr
Chair,
The
Women’s
Major
Group
draws
your
attention
to
the
fact
that
although
technological
change
has
contributed
significantly
to
recent
economic
growth,
benefits
have
accrued
to
the
wealthiest
sectors
in
industrialized
countries.
For
example,
77%
of
people
from
developed
countries
are
Internet
users,
while
only
31%
in
the
developing
world
are.
Women
are
generally
regarded
as
“recipients”
of
technology
products
but
are
marginalized
in
terms
of
decision-‐making
on
technology
developments.
Further,
all
new
technologies
are
controlled
by
few
transnational
corporations
in
each
sector
through
intellectual
property
and
market
dominance,
as
it
was
illustrated
by
Mr.
Martin
Khor
this
morning.
For
example,
10
companies
control
76%
of
commercial
seeds
market,
10
companies
control
95%
of
agrochemical
market,
and
6
of
them
control
100%
of
transgenic
seeds.
Powerful
new
technologies
that
have
large
potential
negative
environmental
and
health
impacts,
are
on
the
markets
without
any
evaluation
nor
regulation.
Therefore,
technology
transfer
can
end
being
dumping
of
untested
technologies
onto
developing
regions
In
order
for
technology
to
serve
sustainable
development,
any
SDG
goal
related
to
technology
must
be
formulated
to:
o Strengthen
recognition
and
ensure
use
of
indigenous
and
local
knowledge
systems
and
technologies.
o Ensure
that
developing
countries
have
equitable
access
to
environmentally
sound
technologies,
including
lifting
of
intellectual
property
barriers
o Increase
and
enable
the
active
participation
of
women
and
affected
groups
in
decision-‐making
throughout
all
stages
of
technology
development,
including
assessment.
o Establish
a
multilateral
mechanism
for
ecological,
social,
cultural,
and
economic
evaluation
of
technologies,
and
ban
technologies
that
can
damage
Earth
cycles,
such
as
geo-‐engineering.