Statement by Ambassador Asoke K. Mukerji, Permanent Representative on Structured Dialogues on a Technology Facilitation Mechanism at the United Nations on April 29, 2014

Mr. Chairman,

1.To respond to your question of what is the objective of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism, I think the Technology Facilitation Mechanism is a key element of the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as the subsequent Post-2015 Development Agenda.

2. The overarching focus of this Mechanism will be the eradication of poverty through sustainable socio-economic growth. Technology’s role as a powerful tool to empower the global population is evident. The use, for example, of ICT as a modern day equivalent of the earlier agriculture extension system which was elaborated by the CEO of CGIAR a few minutes ago is a potent illustration of how technology is that all-important tool and it is a tool of the 21st century.

3. We see the Technology Facilitation Mechanism as a tool to empower people in all aspects of human endeavour which are to be included in the SDGs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Mr. Chairman,

4. My delegation would like to specially emphasize the role of the technology for empowering women. Women form half of the global population and half the global workforce. If we can establish a Mechanism which plays a special role in transferring technology particularly to empower women, including many women in traditional societies who do not have to leave their homes, to perform their socio-economic roles, then I believe this proposed mechanism would have had a major impact.

5. I would like to assure you of our full support in crafting an outcome to the dialogue that you have now set in motion in keeping with the letter and spirit of the General Assembly resolution 68/210. Meaningful international technology cooperation for us, and here and I align myself completely with the statement made by the Permanent Representative of Bolivia on behalf of the G-77 and China, is a key element to the implementation of the Post 2015 Development Agenda.

6. The transformative change that we are seeking through Post-2015 Development Agenda can only come about if there is a transformative shift in the process of international technology cooperation.

Mr. Chairman,

7. In order for us to move forward we need to focus on what is the objective that we have in mind. The objective is to accelerate and sustain development through appropriate technologies. We would have to go sector by sector and perhaps track the sectors that are being identified in the Sustainable Development Goal process for this framework.

8. Technology cooperation is one of the only institutional mandates coming out of the Rio+20 Conference which is still unfulfilled. The early creation of a Technology Facilitation Mechanism under the auspices of the United Nations is therefore in line with both the mandate of the Rio+20 Conference as well as the resolution 68/210. We would like these discussions, Mr. Chairman, to focus on the possible arrangements for a Technology Facilitation Mechanism not whether it is needed or not. In our view, the question of need of a Mechanism itself is a bridge that we have already crossed. The GA resolution 68/210 mandates discussions on ‘how’ best to create a Mechanism, and not ‘whether’ the Mechanism needs to be created.

9. Some key questions that we would like to discuss for the creation of a Technology Facilitation Mechanism include the following: (i) What is the technology support needed in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals and the broader Post-2015 Development Agenda? (ii) What will the proposed Technology Facilitation Mechanism do? What will be its core functions? (iii) What kind of arrangements would the Technology Facilitation Mechanism have, including for oversight and administration? (iv) How will the work of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism be organized, at the international and national levels?

Mr. Chairman,

10. Much has been made of the existing models of technology cooperation under various UN agencies. In our view, the existence of other initiatives does not detract at all from the need to create a Technology Facilitation Mechanism under the auspices of the UN.

11. We believe that the work being done demonstrates the fragmentation of the international efforts to promote technology cooperation. This is a key weakness that the proposed mechanism can meaningfully address in the context of an omnibus development agenda and set of goals that we are seeking to craft.

12. Sector specific technology initiatives are limited in scope and do not address the challenges of sustainable development in a holistic manner. For example, the mechanism which was created under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which is often cited, is not only untested as yet, but also limited to projects with primary climate benefit.

13. Due to fragmentation in international efforts, a whole gamut of actions relating to genuine technology cooperation at the international level fall between the cracks. These include comprehensive needs assessment in the context of sustainable development, trials with and comparisons between different technologies, adaptation of technology to local conditions, coordinated action between the technology actors, financial sector and policy level actors, cross-sectoral and at-scale learning, and at-scale capacity building especially for policy design, financial engineering and business model implementation. Mr. Chairman,

14. I would like to emphasize that capacity building cannot be a substitute for the proposed Technology Facilitation Mechanism. It is the important component of technology facilitation but not a substitute.

15. Allow me to share some of the preliminary views of my delegation on the possible arrangements for a Technology Facilitation Mechanism. In our view, the functions of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism should be to work with countries to identify key technologies that can accelerate sustainable development objectives; provide expert support to facilitate the prioritization of short-term and medium-term technology goals based on market size and the human and institutional capacity of individual countries; the development of counterpart agencies at the national level which will act as focal points; the coordinated implementation of technology-policy-finance and business models; technology demonstration and evaluation; human and institutional capacity building; and technology adaptation.

16. In terms of its institutional structure, we propose that there could be a Governing Council or a Bureau comprised of member states. There could be a management structure anchored perhaps in UN-DESA to implement the work programme approved by the Governing Council.

17. We foresee the Mechanism to consist of country and regional level focal points. The Mechanism would respond to country requests for assistance. There could be standing advisory committees on thematic areas and facilitation could be provided through recipient-country based experts.

Mr. Chairman,

18. We look forward to a meaningful and constructive dialogue and we are open to listening to other ideas of how best to create and operationalise the Technology Facilitation Mechanism. You can count on our proactive engagement and we would be happy to share further ideas and proposals in the coming days.

19. I would like to conclude with an affirmation that India looks forward to a concrete and implementable recommendation coming out of these dialogues which will enable us to create the Mechanism as early as possible.

I thank you.

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