Bangladeshi scientist Firdausi Qadri has been named member of a high-level panel formed by the United Nations, aiming to helping the world’s least developed countries (LDCs) with the latest technologies.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the formation of the 10-member “technology bank” on Wednesday, according to the UN website.
The high-level panel is to advise on the organisational and operational aspects of the planned “Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Innovation Supporting Mechanism.”
The panel will be chaired by Rwanda’s Romain Murenzi, who is currently serving as the executive director of the World Academy of Sciences in Trieste, Italy.
Other panel members include Mohamed Hassan of Sudan, Bruce Lehman of the United States, Tebello Nyokong of South Africa, Dorte Olesen of Denmark, Posh Raj Pandey of Nepal, Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis of Haiti, Fang Xin of China, Hakan Karatas of Turkey, and the UN Under Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Gyan Chandra Acharya.
“The secretary-general has asked the high-level panel to prepare practical recommendations on this important matter, which can provide a strong impetus to accelerating structural transformation and sustainable development of the LDCs,” Ban’s spokesperson said.
The panel was established during 68th session of the UN General Assembly “to examine the scope and functions of the proposed Technology Bank, its organisational aspects and its institutional linkages with the UN,” the spokesperson added.
The panel will hold its first meeting in February 2015 and is expected to submit its report to the UN secretary-general during the summer of next year.