Statement by Dr. Zhao Xinli, Counselor in Charge of Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Permanent Mission of China
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Statement by Dr. Zhao Xinli, Counselor in Charge of Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Permanent Mission of China at the Structured Dialogue of the General Assembly on the stock-taking of the international debates on development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies
29 April 2014
Distinguished Co-chairs,
At the outset, I would like to congratulate Ambassador Paul Seger and Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota on their appointment by Ambassador John Ashe, President of the General Assembly as co-chairs of the structured dialogues. The Chinese delegation attaches great importance to this dialogue series and will actively support the co-chairs in making the current meeting a success.
China fully aligns itself with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
At present, the international community is focusing on the formulation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. At the global level, science and technology has increasingly become a major driving force behind economic and social development, and innovation-led growth has become a general trend. The Chinese government is of the view that science, technology and innovation (STI) constitutes the strategic underpinnings of the quest for higher productivity and national strength, and therefore must be placed at the core of a country’s development agenda. The technologies to be developed, transferred and disseminated in the future must be clean and environmentally sound ones. In this regard, China would like to propose the following:
First of all, we should establish a global mechanism for STI cooperation geared to the needs of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. By making full use of the innovation of modern science and technologies
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such as ICT and management science, we should explore ways to create a coordinated, coherent, equitable, transparent, lean and efficient mechanism for STI within the UN system. In the priority areas of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, such as sustainable agriculture, climate change response, prevention and control of land degradation and desertification, water security and health, control of environmental pollution, and energy conservation and renewable energy, efforts should be made to establish dynamic and efficient mechanisms for global STI cooperation. These initiatives should focus on providing developing countries, LDCs and African countries in particular, with various forms of support, including joint R&D and application-oriented development of appropriate technologies and related training activities.
Secondly, the Post-2015 Development Agenda should include a stand-alone goal relating to the development of STI. If developing countries are to achieve sustainable development, direct financial and technical support from the international community is indispensable. What is more important, however, is their homegrown capacity to innovate in the area of science and technology for sustainability. In the Post-2015 Process, all stakeholders should pool their wisdom in setting a goal on “national STI system and capacity”. The international community should give priority to facilitating the development of the “national STI system and capacity” of developing countries, especially in the context of North-South bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology.
Thirdly, we should leverage STI as a powerhouse for the implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Resolution 68/220 of the General Assembly affirms that the international community has recognized “the vital role that science, technology and innovation, including environmentally sound technologies, can play in development and in facilitating efforts to address global challenges, such as efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve food security, enhance access to energy and increase energy efficiency, fight diseases, improve education, protect the environment, accelerate the pace of economic diversification and transformation, improve productivity and competitiveness and ultimately support sustainable development”. The United Nations should give high priority to unleashing the power of STI in leading and supporting economic and social development, and incorporate it into all dimensions and stages of the Post-2015 Process.
Thank you, Mr. Co-chairs.
Statement by Dr. Zhao Xinli, Counselor in Charge of Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Permanent Mission of China at the Structured Dialogue of the General Assembly on the stock-taking of the international debates on development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies
29 April 2014
Distinguished Co-chairs,
At the outset, I would like to congratulate Ambassador Paul Seger and Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota on their appointment by Ambassador John Ashe, President of the General Assembly as co-chairs of the structured dialogues. The Chinese delegation attaches great importance to this dialogue series and will actively support the co-chairs in making the current meeting a success.
China fully aligns itself with the statement made by Bolivia on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.
At present, the international community is focusing on the formulation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. At the global level, science and technology has increasingly become a major driving force behind economic and social development, and innovation-led growth has become a general trend. The Chinese government is of the view that science, technology and innovation (STI) constitutes the strategic underpinnings of the quest for higher productivity and national strength, and therefore must be placed at the core of a country’s development agenda. The technologies to be developed, transferred and disseminated in the future must be clean and environmentally sound ones. In this regard, China would like to propose the following:
First of all, we should establish a global mechanism for STI cooperation geared to the needs of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. By making full use of the innovation of modern science and technologies
2
such as ICT and management science, we should explore ways to create a coordinated, coherent, equitable, transparent, lean and efficient mechanism for STI within the UN system. In the priority areas of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, such as sustainable agriculture, climate change response, prevention and control of land degradation and desertification, water security and health, control of environmental pollution, and energy conservation and renewable energy, efforts should be made to establish dynamic and efficient mechanisms for global STI cooperation. These initiatives should focus on providing developing countries, LDCs and African countries in particular, with various forms of support, including joint R&D and application-oriented development of appropriate technologies and related training activities.
Secondly, the Post-2015 Development Agenda should include a stand-alone goal relating to the development of STI. If developing countries are to achieve sustainable development, direct financial and technical support from the international community is indispensable. What is more important, however, is their homegrown capacity to innovate in the area of science and technology for sustainability. In the Post-2015 Process, all stakeholders should pool their wisdom in setting a goal on “national STI system and capacity”. The international community should give priority to facilitating the development of the “national STI system and capacity” of developing countries, especially in the context of North-South bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology.
Thirdly, we should leverage STI as a powerhouse for the implementation of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Resolution 68/220 of the General Assembly affirms that the international community has recognized “the vital role that science, technology and innovation, including environmentally sound technologies, can play in development and in facilitating efforts to address global challenges, such as efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve food security, enhance access to energy and increase energy efficiency, fight diseases, improve education, protect the environment, accelerate the pace of economic diversification and transformation, improve productivity and competitiveness and ultimately support sustainable development”. The United Nations should give high priority to unleashing the power of STI in leading and supporting economic and social development, and incorporate it into all dimensions and stages of the Post-2015 Process.
Thank you, Mr. Co-chairs.
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