Science, technology and innovation for enterprise development

The Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission,

1. Reaffirms the role of UNCTAD supporting developing countries to participate effectively in international discussions on access to technology and knowledge sharing, and to identify policy options and best practices, in accordance with paragraphs 38(f) and 45 of the Nairobi Maafikiano;
    
2. Reaffirms the critical role of science, technology and innovation in harnessing development opportunities, including those created by the digital economy; the importance of the role of national, regional and international frameworks for the use of new technologies; and the need to support the growth, advancement and evolution of innovation capabilities of enterprises, including through capacity-building programmes, especially for those enterprises with a higher potential to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, such as providing a means to create employment opportunities and empower women and youth;
    
3. Recognizes that financing and investment play fundamental roles in technological change and innovation, and that substantial mobilization of public and private resources is necessary to enable innovative enterprises to effectively leverage the opportunities created by the digital economy;
    
4. Expresses its satisfaction with the work of UNCTAD in the research pillar relating to science, technology and innovation and information and communications technology, including the publication of the flagship Technology and Innovation Report 2018 which contributes to the policy dialogue on frontier technologies and sustainable development;
    
5. Welcomes the forthcoming launch of the rebranded Digital Economy Report 2019, with a view to supporting the policy discourse on digital entrepreneurship, to enhance the understanding of policy choices in the fast-moving area of e-commerce and the digital economy, particularly in developing countries;
    
6. Reaffirms the need for substantive work on matters of science, technology and innovation for development in the intergovernmental pillar of the work of UNCTAD, including at the Trade and Development Board as appropriate, to address policies to effectively harness science, technology and innovation for more inclusive and sustainable development, and to close the digital divide within and among countries;
    
7. Acknowledges the importance of the UNCTAD E-commerce Week for initiating and stimulating dialogue and consensus on key aspects of the digital economy and its development dimensions, including through regional events such as Africa E-commerce Week, which focuses on the unique requirements of local and regional contexts, to ensure that the evolving digital economy brings inclusive development and prosperity for all;
    
8. Commends UNCTAD technical assistance work in the area of science, technology and innovation, and information and communications technologies, including the science, technology and innovation policy reviews, national e-commerce strategies and the UNCTAD rapid eTrade readiness assessments for the least developed countries, and encourages partners to further support those activities;
    
9. Encourages the secretariat to continue to implement rapid eTrade readiness assessments for all interested developing countries;
    
10. Invites the secretariat to explore ways to mobilize additional resources to enhance the reach of its activities related to the digital economy;
     
11. Welcomes the active role of UNCTAD as co-leader of the Inter-Agency Task Team of the United Nations Technology Facilitation Mechanism, and its substantive support to the capacity-building work of the Inter-Agency Task Team;
     
12. Invites the UNCTAD secretariat to continue its collaboration with the Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries in the delivery of advisory services and capacity building in science, technology and innovation policy and to extend it to areas such as increased electronic trade readiness in the least developed countries;
     
13. Requests the secretariat to continue its work to facilitate consensus-building through the exchange of experiences and mutual learning about science, technology and innovation policies for inclusive and sustainable development; to keep the Commission informed of evolving best practices in this field; to continue cross-fertilization with its work for the Commission on Science and Technology for Development; and to incorporate such best practices in technical cooperation and capacity-building activities in science, technology and innovation policy.