The 12th session of the Commission on Science and Technology will take place 25-29 May 2009, in Geneva, Switzerland. The Commission will review progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes at the regional and international levels. It will also address two main themes.

The 12th session of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology (CSTD) will convene in Geneva, Switzerland from 25 to 29 May 2009.

At this session, the Commission will undertake the 3rd review of the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) outcomes at the regional and international levels.

In addition, it will address the following priority themes:

• Development-oriented policies for socio-economic inclusive information society, including access, infrastructure and an enabling environment.
  
  
• Science, technology and engineering for innovation and capacity-building in education and research.
  
  
• Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) reviews.

The 12th session will commence at 10am on Monday 25 May, 2009 with opening remarks by Ambassador Juan Eduardo Eguiguren, Chair of the CSTD, followed by addresses by:

• Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD
  
  
• Dr. Hamadoun Touré; Secretary-General of ITU
  
  
• Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, First Lady of the Dominican Republic
  
  
• Mr. Jörg Frieden, Assistant Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

The Opening Ceremony will be followed by two ministerial roundtables, one on science, technology and innovation in the morning, and another one on the follow-up to WSIS outcomes in the afternoon. These roundtables will take place in an interactive manner, with the participation of six to eight ministers, respectively.

The Commission will also hear a presentation from the Chair of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), on progress made and obstacles encountered in meeting their commitments to the WSIS process and outcomes.

The second day of the Session will feature two multi-stakeholder panels with prominent speakers from Governments, civil society, academia and business.

• The Panel in the morning will be on "Mobile Technology, Convergence and Social Networking Tools for Development and Poverty Eradication". It is jointly organised by UNCTAD, ITU and Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), and chaired by the ITU Secretary-General Dr Hamadoun Touré.
  
  
• The Panel in the afternoon will be on "Delivering innovation in global public health". It is jointly organised by UNCTAD, WHO, ITU and GAID, and moderated by Dr. Michael St. Louis, Chief Science Officer for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On the third day, the Commission will start working on its priority themes. It will hear a presentation on science, technology and innovation policy (STIP) review from the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology of Ghana, as well as presentations from several national governments on their science, technology and innovation policy initiatives. These include high level delegations from Abu Dhabi, Brazil, and Iraq.

The last two days of the week will be dedicated to deliberations on the outcomes of the Commission's inter-sessional work programme, including recommendations that it wishes to bring to the attention of ECOSOC. The Commission will also decide on the substantive theme and elect a bureau for its next inter-sessional period.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Mongi Hamdi
Head of CSTD Secretariat
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

E-mail: mongi.hamdi@unctad.org