DOCSLIB.ORG

Feasibility Study for a United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Feasibility Study for a United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries Feasibility Study for a United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries UNITED NATIONS United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries Feasibility Study for a United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 2 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 10 A. Background and legislative mandate ........................................................................ 10 B. Overall approach and orientation ............................................................................. 17 Chapter 2: State of STI in LDCs and support by the development partners ........................ 20 A. State of science, technology and innovation in LDCs ............................................... 20 B. Support by the development partners ..................................................................... 25 Chapter 3: UN system activities in support of LDCs in the area of STI ................................ 28 A. United Nations system activities ............................................................................... 30 B. Other international organizations and initiatives ..................................................... 41 Chapter 4: Overall Structure of the Technology Bank ........................................................ 42 A. Science, Technology and Innovation-Supporting Mechanism .................................. 43 B. Intellectual Property Bank ......................................................................................... 46 Chapter 5: Activities of the Technology Bank during the Initial Phase ................................ 50 A. Science, Technology and Innovation-Supporting Mechanism .................................. 50 B. Intellectual Property Bank ......................................................................................... 68 Chapter 6: Institutional matters: Governance, Staffing, Cost Estimates, Funding and Financial Arrangements ....................................................................................................... 79 A. Background ................................................................................................................ 79 B. Comparative analysis of governing arrangements of selected UN entities.............. 79 C. Suggested governance and related arrangements ................................................... 81 D. Status and Authority ................................................................................................. 94 Chapter 7: Recommendations to the High-level Panel ........................................................ 95 Annex - I. The Istanbul Programme of Action and STI policies and Issues in LDCs .............. 98 Annex II - Excerpts from intergovernmental documents on the Technology Bank ........... 104 Annex-III - About the High-Level Panel .............................................................................. 109 List of Charts and Tables Chart 1 Number of patents filled by residents and non-residents in LDCs and selected developing countries ............................................................................................................... 22 Chart 2 International Agreements and Conventions with Technology Provisions .................. 28 Chart 3 Organizational structure of the Technology Bank ...................................................... 42 Chart 4 Number of LDC members of WTO reported as receiving TRIPS related assistance ... 47 Chart 5 Number of cooperation partners providing TRIPS related assistance ........................ 47 Chart 6 Organigramme of the Technology Bank ..................................................................... 85 Table 1 ODA for STI to developing countries and LDCs ........................................................... 26 Table 2 Comparing key aspects of governance arrangements of UNU, UNGC and SE4ALL .... 82 Table 3 Staff and non-staff cost estimates .............................................................................. 92 Feasibility study of the Technology Bank | 1 Acknowledgements This feasibility study was prepared under the overall supervision of the Chair of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on the Technology Bank, Romain Murenzi, and with the financial support from the Government of Turkey, by a team led by Khalil Rahman, Executive Secretary of the Panel (on loan from UNCTAD to UN-OHRLLS) assisted by Abdul Alim, Programme Officer and Tomas Gonzalez, Economic Affairs Officer at UN-OHRLLS and consultants George Dragnich, Andrew Hirsch, Barbara Aronson and Venketachalam Krishnan. Comments were received from Under Secretary-General Gyan Chandra Acharya of UN-OHRLLS; former Chair of UNCSTD Andrew Reynolds; and Oumar Diallo of UN-OHRLLS. Substantive contributions were made by Cathrin Stover of GÉANT, Kimberly Parker of the WHO, Jacob Assa, Economic Affairs Officer and Rita Ruohonen, Associate Expert at UN- OHRLLS and Guliz Sutcu, Senior Expert at the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). Contributions received from the UN system organizations are gratefully acknowledged Feasibility study of the Technology Bank | 2 Executive Summary Science today is a global enterprise involving some 7 million researchers drawing upon a worldwide research and development (R&D) spending of over US$1,000 billion and publishing their findings in some 25,000 specialized journals per year. Significantly, increased investments in R&D by more-advanced developing nations have enabled several of them to scale the heights historically held by the global science, technology and innovation (STI) triumvirate of Japan, North America, and Europe – with outsized returns in terms of their economic performance. Emblematically, those developing countries which constitute the so-called emerging markets are the same ones identified by the Royal Society as “new emergent scientific nations.” 1 Against this encouraging trend, UNESCO has remarked: "By contrast, the group of least developed countries […] still plays a marginal role.”2 Indeed, by any measure – research spending, articles/citations in peer-reviewed journals, or patents applied for – LDC activity in the STI arena barely registers, and would be within the margins of a rounding error of the leading scientific nations. It is telling that the combined average of annual patent filings of all LDCs for which data is available is well below those of many individual developing countries. Left unaddressed, this striking STI disparity could leave LDCs perennially at the margin of the global economy. All the while, broader environmental and societal challenges -- climate change; water, food and energy security; loss of biodiversity; and demographic issues -- seem to have coalesced into an ominous storm cloud over their future. Without rapidly building up national capacities in STI, the goals of eradicating widespread poverty and removing daunting structural constraints on their economies and unleashing sustained growth and sustainable development will remain a distant dream for the nearly a billion people living in LDCs. Building STI capacities will not be enough; it should to be coupled with transfer of much needed technologies to LDCs on voluntary and mutually agreed terms and conditions. Dedicated and coordinated actions on these two fronts, building on and scaling up ongoing initiatives, will help initiate in LDCs a virtuous cycle of high growth, sustained social progress, and robust resilience against natural and human- 1 “Knowledge Networks and Nations: Global scientific collaboration in the 21st century,” The Royal Society, London, 2011, p. 5. https://royalsociety.org/~/media/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2011/4294976134.pdf 2 "UN Science Report 2010: The Current Status of Science around the World," p. 5. Feasibility study of the Technology Bank | 3 induced episodes and, in the process, beneficially mainstream these countries into the world economy and the international trading, financial and technological systems. This is what the Technology Bank, a seminal initiative in the annals of the United Nations, will seek to contribute to. This feasibility study concludes that the Technology Bank is feasible with the expected benefit from its work far outstripping the cost of its operations. It will be a key instrument in ensuring that the LDCs are no longer left behind in achieving internationally agreed development goals, especially the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With the offer of the Government of Turkey to host the Technology Bank, this initiative has already made a very auspicious start. This Feasibility Study recommends that the Technology Bank should be headquartered in Istanbul. Improved prospects of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to LDCs as reflected in the outcome of the Financing for Development Conference in July 2015, coupled with the opportunity provided by the Technology Bank to channel increased ODA to LDCs in the area of STI, also augur well for the funding prospects of the Bank.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Progress of Science and Useful Arts”: Why Copyright Today Threatens Intellectual Freedom
    “The Progress of Science and Useful Arts”: Why Copyright Today Threatens Intellectual Freedom A Public Policy Report Free Expression Policy Project a think tank on artistic and intellectual freedom 275 Seventh Avenue, 9th Floor New York, NY 10001 www.fepproject.org Why Copyright Today Threatens Intellectual Freedom1 “The Progress of Science and Useful Arts”: Why Copyright Today Threatens Intellectual Freedom. Second edition, revised and updated, © 2003. Also available online at http:// www.fepproject.org. This report may be reproduced in its entirety as long as the Free Expression Policy Project is credited, a link to the Project’s Web site is provided, and no charge is imposed. The report may not be reproduced in part or in altered form, or if a fee is charged for access, without our permission. Please let us know if you reprint. All reprints should have the following preface: Reprinted from the Free Expression Policy Project, a think tank on artistic and intellectual freedom, www.fepproject.org. THE FREE EXPRESSION POLICY PROJECT 275 Seventh Ave., 9th floor New York, NY 10001 Phone: 212-807-6222 x 12, x 17 Fax: 212-807-6245www.fepproject.org Marjorie Heins, Director Stephanie Elizondo Griest, Communications Director Nancy Kranich, Senior Research Fellow Author of the Report: Marjorie Heins Design: Stephanie Elizondo Griest Grateful thanks to Cindy Cohn, Seth Finkelstein, Chris Hansen, Benjamin Kaplan, Judith Krug, Lawrence Lessig, Paul DiMaggio, Wendy Seltzer, David Sobel, Peter Tsapatsaris, Siva Vaidhyanathan, and Julie Van Camp for
    [Show full text]
  • Nomination of Bruce A. Lehman to Be Commissioner of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
    S. Hrg. 103-1032 NOMINATION OF BRUCE A. LEHMAN \\^^ TO BE COMMISSIONER OF THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFHCE Y 4, J 89/2: S.HRG, 103-1032 Honination of Bruce A. Lehnan to be... HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON THE NOMINATION OF BRUCE A. LEHMAN TO BE COMMISSIONER OF THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE JULY 28, 1993 Serial No. J-103-22 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ^^^ ' 8 «55 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 90-501 CC WASHINGTON : 1995 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office, Washington, DC 20402 ISBN 0-16-047131-1 S. Hrg. 103-1032 ^ \^(\ NOMINATION OF BRUCE A. LEHMAN TO BE COMMISSIONER OF THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ' 4. J 89/2: S.HRG. 103-1032 onination of Bruce A. Lehnan to be... HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON THE NOMINATION OF BRUCE A. LEHMAN TO BE COMMISSIONER OF THE U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE JULY 28, 1993 Serial No. J-1 03-22 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary ^^l\Z n% U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 90-501 CC WASHINGTON : 1995 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents. Congressional Sales Office. Washington. DC 20402 ISBN 0-16-047131-1 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JOSEPH R. BIDEN, Jr., Delaware, Chairman EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts ORRIN G.
    [Show full text]
  • Digital Copyright
    University of Michigan Law School University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository Books Faculty Scholarship 2006 Digital Copyright Jessica D. Litman University of Michigan Law School, [email protected] Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/books/1 Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/books Part of the Computer Law Commons, Intellectual Property Law Commons, Internet Law Commons, and the Legislation Commons Recommended Citation Litman, Jessica D. Digital Copyright. 2nd ed. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books, 2006. This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Books by an authorized administrator of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DIGITAL COPYRIGHT DIGITAL COPYRIGHT Protecting intellectual property on the Internet © The Digital Millennium Copyright Act © Copyright lobbyists conquer the Internet © Pay per view . pay per listen . pay per use © What the major players stand to gain © What the public stands to lose JESSICA LITMAN Prometheus Books 59 John Glenn Drive Amherst, New York 14228-2197 Published 2006 by Prometheus Books Digital Copyright. Copyright © 2001 by Jessica Litman. Afterword copyright © 2006 by Jessica Litman. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro- duced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, dig- ital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or conveyed via the Internet or a Web site without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
    [Show full text]
  • International Intellectual Property Institute |
    6/9/2018 International Intellectual Property Institute | U a International Intellectual Property Institute Promoting awareness and understanding of the role of intellectual property rights in technology and the arts. ; https://iipi.org/ 1/6 6/9/2018 International Intellectual Property Institute | About IIPI The International Intellectual Property Institute (IIPI) is the foremost organization for providing education and training on intellectual property (IP) rights to leaders and innovators in developing countries. IIPI programs provide training on matters such as the commercialization of publicly funded research, protecting and maximizing the benets of traditional culture, and state of the art mechanisms for judicial resolution of IP related disputes. LEARN MORE https://iipi.org/ 2/6 6/9/2018 International Intellectual Property Institute | Vision With over two decades of experience working with countries and regional groups worldwide, IIPI understands the national and international IP landscape and knows how to build constituencies to achieve results. Value As a nonprot, IIPI strives to provide services by the most cost-effective means. Voice In a eld dominated by advocacy groups, IIPI is one of the few independent organizations explaining and improving IP systems to foster economic growth in all countries What We Do Educate government leaders about the economic value of IP protection Support the ability of creative artists to protect and monetize their works https://iipi.org/ 3/6 6/9/2018 International Intellectual Property Institute
    [Show full text]
  • Union Calendar No. 479
    1 Union Calendar No. 479 105TH CONGRESS REPORT 2d Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 105±838 !" LEGISLATIVE REVIEW ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ONE HUNDRED FIFTH CONGRESS A REPORT FILED PURSUANT TO SECTION 136 OF THE LEGISLATIVE REORGA- NIZATION ACT OF 1946 (2 U.S.C. 190d), AS AMENDED BY SECTION 118 OF THE LEGISLATIVE REORGANIZATION ACT OF 1970 (PUB- LIC LAW 91±510), AS AMENDED BY PUBLIC LAW 92±136 JANUARY 2, 1999ÐCommitted to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 69±006 WASHINGTON : 1999 COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York, Chairman WILLIAM F. GOODLING, Pennsylvania LEE H. HAMILTON, Indiana JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa SAM GEJDENSON, Connecticut HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois TOM LANTOS, California DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska HOWARD L. BERMAN, California CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York DAN BURTON, Indiana ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American ELTON GALLEGLY, California Samoa ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida MATTHEW G. MARTINEZ, California CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina DONALD PAYNE, New Jersey DANA ROHRABACHER, California ROBERT E. ANDREWS, New Jersey DONALD MANZULLO, Illinois ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey EDWARD R. ROYCE, California SHERROD BROWN, Ohio PETER T. KING, New York CYNTHIA A. MCKINNEY, Georgia JAY KIM, California ALCEE L. HASTINGS, Florida STEVE J. CHABOT, Ohio PAT DANNER, Missouri MARSHALL ``MARK'' SANFORD, EARL F. HILLIARD, Alabama South Carolina BRAD SHERMAN, California MATT SALMON, Arizona ROBERT WEXLER, Florida AMO HOUGHTON, New York STEVE ROTHMAN, New Jersey TOM CAMPBELL, California BOB CLEMENT, Tennessee* JON FOX, Pennsylvania BILL LUTHER, Minnesota* JOHN MCHUGH, New York JIM DAVIS, Florida* LINDSEY GRAHAM, South Carolina LOIS CAPPS, California* ROY BLUNT, Missouri KEVIN BRADY, Texas* RICHARD BURR, North Carolina* RICHARD J.
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy
    COPYRIGHT POLICY, CREATIVITY, AND INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INTERNET POLICY TASK FORCE July 2013 Copyright law in the United States is founded on the Constitutional goal of “promot[ing] the Progress of Science and useful Arts” by providing exclusive rights to creators. Protection by copyright law gives creators incentives to produce new works and distribute them to the public. In doing so, the law strikes a number of important balances in delineating what can be protected and what cannot, determining what uses are permitted without a license, and establishing appropriate enforcement mechanisms to combat piracy, so that all stakeholders benefit from the protection afforded by copyright. A 2012 Commerce Department economic study showed that intellectual-property- intensive industries account for tens of millions of jobs and several trillion dollars of our GDP. Among these, copyright-intensive industries contributed 5.1 million jobs and grew by 46.3 percent between 1990 and 2011, outpacing other IP-intensive industries as well non-IP-intensive ones. This vital contribution is a tribute to the Founders’ vision in providing for the protection of creative works. The reasons to protect creative works go well beyond the economic benefit. America’s writers, musicians, filmmakers, photographers, sculptors and other creators make up the lifeblood of our culture, build new stores of knowledge, and shape how we see ourselves—and how the world sees us as well. Their influence extends beyond our borders; our copyrighted works weave a compelling narrative of the opportunity and possibility of America, and continue to be at the forefront of the global creative marketplace.
    [Show full text]