As a number of countries in the south have achieved significant scientific progress, evolving South-South cooperation in science, technology and innovation between least developed countries (LDCs) and emerging economies require close attention, said national and international analysts yesterday.
They were also of the view that investment in agriculture is also important to boost agriculture production for a sustainable development.
A panel of national and international experts made their observations at the second session on technology, science, and innovation of a high-level meeting on South-South and Triangular Cooperation in the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Financing for Development in the South and Technology Transfer in a city hotel in Dhaka.
Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance in partnership with UN Office for South-South Cooperation and UNDP arranged the two-day meeting.
Professor of Law at Kyung Hee University and Policy Adviser to the President’s Office, Republic of Korea, was the moderator of the second session.
Analysts said the countries such as China and India are becoming significant sources of environmentally friendly technologies for the countries of the South and the North, showing that there is an immense potential for south-south collaboration on sustainable development aided by scientific and technological know-how.
Harnessing this potential is of critical importance to sustainable development, growth and resilience to economic, social and environment shocks, they said.
Director of South-South and Resource Mobilisation Division, Food and Agriculture Organisation Jong-Jin Kim said investment in agriculture is one of the most effective means to eliminate poverty and hunger as agriculture generates income and food.
“Without agriculture and rural development, no development is sustainable,” he said.
So, south-south cooperation might play a key role to implement Social Development Goals (SDGs), particularity second agenda that is end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, added Jong-Jin Kim.
South-south cooperation has unique characteristic compared to other cooperation as any developing countries having financial and technological resources can provide solution, which is very cheap and highly relevant, to other developing countries, he observed.
Kim laid emphasis on strong local ownership, expanded partnership, increased investment, innovation and technology for implementing SDGs.
Bangladesh Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman said for capacity building, it is very much important for bringing all people from every sector to make project a success.
But implementing any plan taken by the government is a problem due to bureaucracy, he said.
“Bureaucratic problem in any country is a problem, which is true. They do not want to listen. They have their own idea with what they move forward.”
Public and private partnership is also important to make any project successful, said Kim.
Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau, HE Jean-Francis Regis Zinsou, also LDC Group and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Benin to the United Nation, said the role of science and technology, innovation is very important to ensure rights of future generation.
He said good practices in developing countries can be applied to other developing or LDC countries for getting good result through south-south cooperation.
Jean-Francis Regis Zinsou added that research-based industrialisation is also important for making policy so that any country can have productivity in such a way that it can connect global value chain.
Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority Chairman Professor Naiyyum Choudhury said the role of science and technology is vital for increasing agriculture production as a little bit of innovation has a fantastic production.
“But fist we have to change our mindset in adopting new technology,” he said, underscoring the need for mutual collaboration between public and private sector.
