Malaysia
Intervention by Mr. Loh Seck Tiong, Minister-Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations,
New York at the United Nations Dialogue to Consider Possible Arrangements for a Technology Facilitation Mechanism to Promote the Development, Transfer and Dissemination of Clean and Environmentally Sound Technologies,
29 April 2014, UNHQ, New York
Mr. Moderator,
Thank you for giving me the floor.
At the outset allow me to join other speakers to congratulate the President of the General Assembly for convening this important dialogue. My appreciation also to the panelists for their excellent presentation that has further enriched today’s discussion.
I also would like to align my intervention with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
As we have heard in this room, finance and technology - underpinned by science and innovation, are two main components of Means of Implementation that are vitally needed to boost the financial and technological resources of developing countries in achieving sustainable development.
Technology is recognized in Agenda 21, Rio plus 20 outcome, and in the MDG 8, as an essential component in MDGs and SDGs as both a Means of Implementation and as Global Partnership.
It is to be recalled that the central role of technology transfer to developing countries as well as the development of endogenous technology in these countries were recognized in the 1992 Rio Summit particularly in Chapter 34 of Agenda 21 which states, among others, the principle of the need for favorable access to and transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries through technology cooperation enabling transfer of technological know-how and building up of economic, technical and managerial capacities for the efficient use and further development of transferred technology.
Against this backdrop, my delegation would like to highlight the following points:
First, developing countries should be enabled to take part in all stages of the technology cycle with access to finance, capacity building and training, not merely as recipients at the diffusion stage as indicated in the Secretary-General’s report document A/68/310 and highlighted by the Group of 77 and China;
Second, developing countries, including Malaysia aspire to climb the technological ladder. Technological transfer is not merely the import or purchase of machines and other hardware at commercial rates. A central aspect of technology development and transfer is the building of local capacity so that people and institutions in developing countries can design and create technologies which can be diffused into the domestic economy.
Third, there is an urgent need for a global technology mechanism that can accelerate technology transfer and diffusion on a global scale to developing countries. The setting-up of an intergovernmental preparatory working group to work out the institutional details of the mechanism could be explored, in this regard; and
Fourth, the UN Secretary-General’s report on options for a technology facilitation mechanism (A/67/348) which has many useful proposals, in line with Agenda 21 proposals, for the establishment of a collaborative network of research centres, support for cooperation and assistance programmes, and building capacity for technology assessment, and collaborative arrangements, among others, contain many positive elements that resonates well with the post-2015 development agenda including sustainable development goals, should
be strongly considered.
I thank you again, Mr. Moderator for giving me the opportunity to take the floor.
New York at the United Nations Dialogue to Consider Possible Arrangements for a Technology Facilitation Mechanism to Promote the Development, Transfer and Dissemination of Clean and Environmentally Sound Technologies,
29 April 2014, UNHQ, New York
Mr. Moderator,
Thank you for giving me the floor.
At the outset allow me to join other speakers to congratulate the President of the General Assembly for convening this important dialogue. My appreciation also to the panelists for their excellent presentation that has further enriched today’s discussion.
I also would like to align my intervention with the statement delivered by the distinguished representative of the Plurinational State of Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
As we have heard in this room, finance and technology - underpinned by science and innovation, are two main components of Means of Implementation that are vitally needed to boost the financial and technological resources of developing countries in achieving sustainable development.
Technology is recognized in Agenda 21, Rio plus 20 outcome, and in the MDG 8, as an essential component in MDGs and SDGs as both a Means of Implementation and as Global Partnership.
It is to be recalled that the central role of technology transfer to developing countries as well as the development of endogenous technology in these countries were recognized in the 1992 Rio Summit particularly in Chapter 34 of Agenda 21 which states, among others, the principle of the need for favorable access to and transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries through technology cooperation enabling transfer of technological know-how and building up of economic, technical and managerial capacities for the efficient use and further development of transferred technology.
Against this backdrop, my delegation would like to highlight the following points:
First, developing countries should be enabled to take part in all stages of the technology cycle with access to finance, capacity building and training, not merely as recipients at the diffusion stage as indicated in the Secretary-General’s report document A/68/310 and highlighted by the Group of 77 and China;
Second, developing countries, including Malaysia aspire to climb the technological ladder. Technological transfer is not merely the import or purchase of machines and other hardware at commercial rates. A central aspect of technology development and transfer is the building of local capacity so that people and institutions in developing countries can design and create technologies which can be diffused into the domestic economy.
Third, there is an urgent need for a global technology mechanism that can accelerate technology transfer and diffusion on a global scale to developing countries. The setting-up of an intergovernmental preparatory working group to work out the institutional details of the mechanism could be explored, in this regard; and
Fourth, the UN Secretary-General’s report on options for a technology facilitation mechanism (A/67/348) which has many useful proposals, in line with Agenda 21 proposals, for the establishment of a collaborative network of research centres, support for cooperation and assistance programmes, and building capacity for technology assessment, and collaborative arrangements, among others, contain many positive elements that resonates well with the post-2015 development agenda including sustainable development goals, should
be strongly considered.
I thank you again, Mr. Moderator for giving me the opportunity to take the floor.
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