STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MARWA KISIRI, MINISTER-COUNSELLOR, PERMANENT MISSION OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, IN THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY DURING CONSIDERATION OF AGENDA ITEM 95 (C): MACRO-ECONOMIC POLICY QUESTIONS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT

New York, 17 October 1997

Mr. Chairman,

May I take this opportunity on behalf of the Group of 77 and China to outline our priorities on Agenda item 95 (c ) which addresses Macro-economic policy questions: science and technology for development. We thank the Secretary-General for the report contained in document A/52/320 which has been submitted to assist the Committee in reviewing principal issues under consideration during the current session.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China attaches great significance to the critical contribution of science and technology to development of developing countries especially in the current era marked with the processes of globalization and liberalization. Science and technology plays a catalytic role in the developing countries efforts to improve the quality of life of their people, and sustained economic growth and development in developing countries.

We underscore the importance of a strengthened and intensified international cooperation in the field of science and technology for development. This is essential in order to enhance endogenous capacity-building in developing countries, and to promote, facilitate, and finance the access to and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and corresponding know-how to these countries, on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account the special needs of developing countries.

We emphasize that adequate financial resources on a continuous and assured basis should be accorded to developing countries to foster their science and technological development and thus enabling them to meet their development needs. The developing countries should have access, inter alia, to new technologies without obstacles such as export restrictions on new technology imposed under different pretexts. It is imperative to address such exclusion in the development of developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

The process of globalization has created increased benefits from science and technology advancement, but developing countries remain marginalized in this process. For example, global payments of fees and royalties for technology, according to the 1997 World Investment Report by UNCTAD, quadrupled between 1993 and 1995 to an estimated US$48 billion. This payment, which was concentrated among a few developed countries can be averaged, at US$ 16 billion per year between 1993 and 1995 exceeds the combined total of leading exports of all least developed countries of about US$14 billion for 1993-94

Mr. Chairman,

Science and technology for development should remain one of the priority issues on the agenda of the United Nations. The United Nations should play a central role in the promotion of cooperation in science and technology, and in the enhancement of support and assistance to developing countries in their efforts on this front.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China emphasizes that efforts by the developing countries towards achieving sustainable development objectives can only be effective with simultaneous efforts towards accelerating sustained economic growth and development of developing countries through, inter alia, the creation of an enabling external economic environment conducive to the development process in the areas of transfer of technology, trade, finance and resolving their external debt problem. We reiterate that the development and transfer of environmentally sound technologies are essential components of a successful strategy for sustainable development. In this regard, external assistance for the promotion of technology centres in developing countries has an important role to play.

The Group of 77 and China emphasizes the urgent need for international support to regional and sub-regional cooperation initiatives involving developing countries including through Economic and Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries (ECDC/TCDC) modality as a means of expanding not only transfer of technology but trade and investment among those countries.

Mr. Chairman,

The report of the Secretary-General mentions actions under-taken by the Commission on Science and Technology to deal with the various issues in this sector including:

• Work related to the adoption of information and communication technologies as the main substantive theme of the Commission’s work for the period 1995-97.
  
• Policy reviews which were conducted in two developing countries and requests for this purpose received from a total of seven from developing countries and countries in transition.
  
• Efforts towards addressing gender implications of science and technology as well as issues dealing with a coalition of resources and coordination especially with the United Nations System.

This Committee should seize this moment to provide further guidance to the Commission on how to improve its action on these and other issues covered by its work programme.

We also deem it essential to stress, inter alia, that our work in this Committee should reaffirm on the continuing validity of the Vienna Programme of Action on Science and Technology for Development and all other UN resolutions and decisions concerning science and technology for development.

Mr. Chairman,

The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) has a unique role to play as a global forum for examination of science and technology questions, improving the understanding of science and technology policies for development and the formulation of recommendations and guidelines on science and technology matters within the United Nations system. In this context, we maintain that the intergovernmental role and functioning of the Commission should be strengthened in order to increase its efficiency and effectiveness including focusing its work more on transfer of technology and capacity building in developing countries. The Secretariat of UNCTAD should continue to provide substantive servicing of the CSTD.

Mr. Chairman,

In conclusion, the Group of 77 and China underlines that with political will on the part of the developed countries and concrete international cooperation arrangements, it is quite feasible for the goal of technology transfer to developing countries be accelerated. We reiterate that the United Nations system has a key role in this regard. At the threshold of the new millenium, it is critical to launch additional measures for purposes of enabling the developing countries to address their pressing needs in this sector and to face the development challenges of the period ahead.

I thank you.