Technology Transfer for Sustainable Development Goals

Venkataraman Ganesh, reporting from the United Nations General Assembly – Economic and Social Council (UNGA-ECOSOC), writes about some developments during the third session of the annual ministerial segment of the high level political forum on sustainable development 2018.

The annual ministerial segment of the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development convened for its second session today and discussed the possibility of establishing a technology transfer regime to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In 2015, member-nations had agreed to create a Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) in order to further the SDGs. The TFM has three broad components: an inter-agency task team (IATT) on science and technology, an annual multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for SDGs (STI Forum), and the development of an online platform for sharing information and actions in the field of science, technology and innovation that could impact the SDGs . Pursuant to the creation of the TFM, the multi-stakeholder forum that was conducted in 2016 emphasized the need for creating “inclusive technology that leaves no one behind” and pointed to the need to ensure that lower and middle income countries had access to the latest green technologies .

Building on this, the HLPF went a step further today and seemed poised to advocate the establishment of a technology transfer regime to achieve the SDGs.

The question of technology transfer was first raised by the Delegate of the United States of America (USA). The Delegate advocated the creation of an “International Observational Scientific Committee” with the mandate to observe and stay abreast of the latest technologies that can achieve the SDGs. Further, the Delegate also proposed that the committee have the mandate to ensure technology transfer between developed, developing and under-developed countries. In light of these suggestions, this reporter circulated an opinion poll amongst the member-nations of HLPF asking them the questions enumerated below: a. Were member-nations willing to set up a committee that shall ensure green technology transfer between countries? b. Did member-nations feel that countries ought to be able to share only those technologies that they felt were not a threat to their national security?

19 of the 24 member-nations stated that they were willing to support the establishment of a committee that shall ensure technology transfer between countries; furthermore, 7 of these 19 countries supported the idea that countries should have the freedom to transfer only those technologies that they perceived to be non-threatening to their national security.

While the specifics about the composition of the committee and compensation to the countries transferring technology remains to be discussed, the fact that there is overwhelming support amongst member nations for establishing a green technology transfer regime is in itself encouraging and a step forward towards achieving the SDGs.