At its fifth session, the Commission on Science and Technology for Development considered five substantive items , including the examination of a report on the main theme for the session, "National capacity-building in biotechnology".

Other substantive agenda items covered:

• the implementation of and progress on decisions made at the fourth session of the Commission;
  
  
• international and country reports on technology and innovation policies;
  
  
• the budget of the Commission; and
  
  
• activities of the Commission regarding the coordination of science and technology for development.

After consideration of the substantive agenda items, the Commission adopted three Resolutions, which addressed the major issues addressed at the fifth session and recommended them for adoption by the Economic and Social Council.

In the first Resolution, entitled "Science and technology for development", it was decided that the substantive theme and focus of the Commission´s work during the intersessional period 2001-2003 would be "Technology development and capacity-building for competitiveness in a digital society".

The Commission also recommended the adoption by the Economic and Social Council of a second Resolution, in which the Council would approve the establishment of a special trust fund for activities in the area of science and technology for development.

The Commission recommended a third Resolution for adoption by the Economic and Social Council, which proposed that in future the Commission would meet annually and requested that an open-ended working group be set up to study and analyse the role of the Commission in the recommendation and policy-making process of the United Nations system on science and technology issues.