UN General Assembly Committee Adopts Resolution On SciTech For Development With Nod To IP Rights

A committee of the United Nations General Assembly this week adopted a resolution highlighting the importance of – and setting out member state tasks for – growing science and technology, including expansion of intellectual property rights and innovation tailored to countries’ development strategies.

Document A/C.2/72/L.57, entitled, “Science, technology and innovation for development” was “adopted without a vote as revised,” according to a UN update. The revisions were not available at press time.

The draft resolution was submitted by the Vice-Chair of the Committee, Cristiana Mele (Italy), on the basis of informal consultations on draft resolution A/C.2/72/L.6.

The resolution was addressed in the Seventy-second session of the “Second Committee”, under Agenda item 21 (b), “Globalization and interdependence: science, technology and innovation for development.”

Among the highlights of the 8-page document is a reference to the importance of investment in a sound intellectual property framework with acknowledgement of access as well:

“Recognizing the importance of the creation of a conducive environment that attracts and supports private investment, entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, including an efficient, adequate, balanced and effective intellectual property framework, while encouraging access to science and technology by developing countries.”

It also referenced the World Intellectual Property Organization’s technology and innovation support centres (TISCs), which have gotten increasing attention among member states in recent years, as well as other WIPO programs:

“Noting the ongoing efforts by the World Intellectual Property Organization, under its existing mandate, to establish technology and innovation support centres in over 60 countries, providing access to technological information through patent databases and access to scientific literature through the Access to Research for Development and Innovation programme, the Access to Specialized Patent Information programme and the development of national intellectual property and innovation strategies.”

The document lists the many initiatives and angles of the UN on science, technology and innovation, including environmental and agricultural innovation, ensuring equal access for women, and access for disabled persons.

It also states that the committee: “Encourages the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in collaboration with relevant partners, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the United Nations University, to continue to undertake science, technology and innovation policy reviews, with a view to assisting developing countries in identifying the measures that are needed to integrate science, technology and innovation policies into their national development strategies and ensuring that such policies and programmes are supportive of national development agendas, as appropriate , and in this regard looks forward to the broadened framework being developed by the Conference for national science, technology and innovation policy reviews in order to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals, as appropriate.”

And it: “Encourages the World Intellectual Property Organization to continue to undertake technical support activities, including helping countries to design, develop and implement national intellectual property and innovation strategies aligned with their development strategies”

It further called on member states and stakeholders to provide funding to the trust fund for the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries being set up this year.

For next steps, the resolution: “Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-fourth session [September 2019] a report on the implementation of the present resolution and recommendations for future follow-up, including lessons learned in integrating science, technology and innovation policies into national development strategies as well as in supporting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-fourth session, under the item entitled ‘Globalization and interdependence’, a sub-item entitled ‘Science, technology and innovation for sustainable development’.”