Science, Technology and Innovations in LDC’s:How can we do more and better?

Gretchen KalonjiAssistant Director General for Natural Sciences

UNESCO

Preparatory Event for the 4th UN Conference on theLeast Developed Countries

7-8 February, 2011Istanbul, Turkey

Overview

• Perspectives on STI and development

• UNESCO’s activities and future plans

• Thoughts on preparation for May meeting

• Conclusions

The 4th UN Conference on the Least Developed Countriesoffers us the opportunity to take bold new steps in re-formulating vision for STI and human needs. We have toseize this opportunity!

“Many Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including 34 LDCs in Africa, couldmiss the opportunity to reach the MDGs by 2015 unless there is significantinvestment in human resources, science and technology, which are consideredof a crucial importance to stimulate production, sustained and inclusive growthand sustainable development as a means of poverty alleviation”

From: United Nations Reports on progress in achieving MDGs

« Meeting the Goals will require a substantial reorientation of development policies to focuson key sources of economic growth, including those associated with the use of new andestablished scientific and technological knowledge and related institutional adjustments.Countries will need to recognize the benefits from advances in science and technology anddevelop policies and strategies to harness the explosion in new knowledge »

From « Innovation: Applying Knowledge in Development », Report of the Millennium Project’sTask Force on Science, Technology, and Innovation

Science and Technology Policy for MDGs

What constraints have limited STI application in LDCs?

• Lack of skilled human resources and scientific expertise in the countries

• Lack of advocacy for STI at high political and policy levels

• Low science culture among the populations

• Weak mechanisms for the management of S & T

• Inadequate budget and resource allocation

• Weak linkage between policy formulation and national development planning

• Weak mechanisms for implementation, evaluation and review

• Weak linkages between various agencies and organizations in S & T

• Over reliance on the use of foreign expertise to the neglect of the use anddevelopment of local expertise and

• Lack of people’s, particularly women’s, involvement in STI

Our Concept of STI and Development

Culture of Science

Based in the countries’potential to solve global

issues;

Local knowledge andinnovation capacities;

Based on the localrealities and addressing

the common good;

InclusivePeople’scentered

ETHICS EMPOWERMENT

Rationale for more comprehensive vision

• STI: Knowledge and know-how, capacity to understand issues and

propose alternative solutions for the existing and the new problems.

choices of the development path to follow;

• Social energy: endogenous, local potential to solve local and global

issues, autonomy for action, commitment, potential to scale-up with

little or no “push”;

• Development: improve conditions of life, actions towards social,

cultural and economic growth

• People-Centered: values, ownership, local knowledge and know-how,

cultural richness, social and cultural networks,

Science and technology in LDCs: A luxury ?

Analysis of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) prepared during the period2004–2006 in 11 LDCs indicates that:

§Only four of the 11 countries include science and/or technology as priority policy for povertyreduction

§Only three of the 11 countries include a specific section or paragraph on science andtechnology issues

§Only three of the 11 countries include explicit and specific science and technology initiativesto enhance technology transfer and acquisition through either international trade or foreigndirect investment (FDI)

§Only three of the 11 countries include specific initiatives to support basic research

§Only four of the 11 countries include initiatives for applied research outside agriculture

§Only three of the 11 countries include specific science and technology initiatives in all threelevels of education – primary, secondary and tertiary

Leadership capacity of women in STI has been inadequately tapped in mostdevelopment plans

Gender Equity in Science, Technology and Innovation means

q More women in science/More science for women

q Transforming the status of women through connecting women to S&T

q Recognizing women’s traditional science knowledge

q Strengthening the gender perspective, by taking into account women’s needs, interestsand perspectives in S&T

q Enhancing women’s capability to contribute to S&T and S&T decision-making

q Recognizing that women’s knowledge is essential for sustainability and survival

q Promoting women as technological innovators and agents of change

The New Geography of Science Technology and Innovation:the emergence of new players

South – South Networks(a) Collaborations involving end-stage commercialization.(b) Collaborations involving R&D

From: Nature Biotechnology (2010)

Natural Sciences at UNESCO• Strong existing efforts, e.g. in ocean and fresh water sciences (IOC

and IHP); ecological sciences (MAB and WHS); geological sciences(IGSP); basic sciences (IBSP); science policy; indigenous knowledge

• Network of UNESCO-related institutions, including the Abdus SalaamInternational Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), the Third WorldAcademy of Sciences (both in Trieste), the IHE, in Delft, and 22+“category 2” centers in science and engineering around the world.

• Extensive network of field offices - the main science bureaus are inCairo, Jakarta, Montevideo, Nairobi and Venice, but we also havescience officers in 53 countries

• 200+ UNESCO Chairs around the world with science research foci

• Our extended family Broad convening power in science, as a neutralbase for “networks of networks”

Natural Sciences: Meta-goals

• Focus on scientific collaborations that require large-scalemultinational collaborations, e.g. IOC, IHP, etc.

• Focus on areas where we can realize the broader goal of “sciencefor peace”, e.g. effort in transboundary aquifers, SESAME, etc.

• Embrace our responsibility to assist member states in meeting theirown goals for strengthening STI ecosystems in service to society,with foci on:

• Poverty eradication

• Low-cost, effective and accessible solutions to pressing socialchallenges, e.g. access to clean water, energy, health care, etc.

Strategic Priority 1: Strengthening STI Ecosystems• MLA 1: Promoting STI policies and access to knowledge

• New forms of STI governance• Regional integration in STI policies• Prospective studies and STI indicator development

• MLA 2: Building capacities in basic sciences and engineering

• Strengthening higher education systems, incl. in engineering• Building public-private partnerships in research• Building networked centres of excellences (N-S, S-S) in research and

education

MLA 3: Mobilizing broad-based participation: science for society – society forscience

• Enhancing participation of women and girls, and of youth in general• Increasing public awareness of science, e.g. science journalism• Engaging civic society, e.g. “science for parliamentarians”

BSP2: Mobilizing Science for Sustainable Use of NaturalResources, for Natural Disasters, and Renewable Energy

• MLA 4: Managing and protecting oceans and coastal zones (IOC)

• MLA 5: Fresh water systems: stress and societal response (IHP)

• MLA 6: Ecological and earth sciences: (MAB and IGSP)

• MLA 7: Natural disaster risk reduction and mitigation

In all of the above, we maintain strong focus on Priority Africa and onGender Equality

Within UNESCO, we lead multi-sectoral efforts on Climate Change andon Small Island Developing States (SIDS)

International Hydrological Programme VII Phase (2008-2013)

Cross-cutting

Programmes

FRIEND/HELPTHEME IV:

Water and Life Support Systems

THEME III:Ecohydrology for Sustainability

THEME II:Strengthening Water Governance for

Sustainability

THEME I:Adapting to the impacts of global

changes on river basins and aquifersystems

HydrologicalResearch

Water ResourcesManagement

IHP - VIINew InitiativesWater Centres

IHP VI Initiatives

PC-CP

ISI

IFI

ICHARM

G - WADI

IAHS - PUB

THEME V:Water Education for Sustainable

Development

Education,Transfer of knowledge, Capacity building

The Man and Biosphere Programme: World Network of Biosphere Reserves( 564 in 109 countries)

STI Policy Reviews planned

STI Policies formulated

Science, Technology and Innovation PolicyInitiative in Africa

UNESCO’s critical areas for cooperation with Governments and partnersinvolved in science policy in LDCs

q Building human and institutional capacitiesq Supporting for participatory policy review to improve the

management of S&T at the national levelq Strengthening STI governanceq Improving and upgrading science and engineering educationq Integrating science in national cultureq Strengthening South - South cooperationq Local sustainable development approachesq Elaborating science policy indicators, statistics, databases and

prospective studies

Perspectives on STI elements for future plan for LDCs

• Need to find balance between basic sciences and technology

• Focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation; greentechnologies and renewable energy

• Much larger collaborative attention to natural disasters

• Biodiversity and ABS protocol offer great potential

• Water issues needed to be heavily featured

• New models for collaboration on science and engineering educationneeded, particularly at the tertiary level

• Entrepreneurship development, especially for youth

• Far greater focus on popular participation and understanding of STI

Conclusions

• The challenges are great, and creativity is required.

• New, more integrated and people-centered models forthe relationship between STI and development areneeded.

• Our partnerships need to be greatly strengthened,comprehensive, coordinated and sustained.

• The 4th UN Conference on the Least Developed countriesgives us the opportunity to bring a greatly moreEFFECTIVE vision of STI and development to the table