Catching technological waves innovation with equity

Special session of the G-STIC Conference 2021

We live in a time of growing prosperity. But this is occurring alongside growing inequalities. People are, on average, living longer and healthier lives, receiving more education and having better access to clean water, sanitation and electricity. A global middle class has emerged, fuelled by rapid growth in emerging economies. At the same time, poverty is stubbornly persistent in some pockets, with more than half of the world's extreme poor living in sub-Saharan Africa.

Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic have laid the gaps bare for all to see. There are vast numbers of working poor all around the world with no savings to get them through difficult times. Meanwhile, the elderly and people with pre-existing health conditions have become more vulnerable.

Against this backdrop, technology can be seen as both friend and foe. Innovation drives prosperity, and frontier technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology) could be transformative in achieving the SDGs. But rapid advances can have severe downsides if they outpace the ability of societies to adapt. For example, there are fears of jobs disappearing as economic activity is increasingly automated, while social media is exacerbating divisions, anxiety and doubt.

Ever since the first industrial revolution, gaps between richer and poorer countries have widened with every spurt of progress. Our current technological surge could therefore have especially serious implications for developing countries.

In this special session, hosted by UNCTAD, we’ll ask: How are frontier technologies impacting inequalities? How can governments minimize risks and maximize opportunities? How can international cooperation help?

We’ll also discuss policy options for countries to strategically position themselves to take advantage of new waves of technological change for inclusive and sustainable development. The discussion will be based on findings and recommendations from UNCTAD’s Technology and Innovation Report 2021: Catching Technological Waves – Innovation with Equity.

Programme

Keynote address

• Ms. Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General of UNCTAD

Presentation of the Technology and Innovation Report 2021

• Ms. Shamika N. Sirimanne, Director of the Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD

Round table discussion (14:24 – 15:13)

Moderator

• Mr. Clovis Freire, Economist, Division on Technology and Logistics, UNCTAD, Team Leader of the Technology and Innovation Report 2021

Speakers

• Ms. Susan Cozzens, Professor Emerita in the School of Public Policy, Georgia Tech, Vice President of GLOBELICS, and Associate Editor of the journal Innovation and Development.
• Mr. George Essegbey, Chief Research Scientist, CEO, Technology Development and Transfer Center (TDTC), Science and Technology Policy Research Institute (STEPRI) of the Council of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) of Ghana.
• Mr. José Ramón López-Portillo Romano, Chairman, Q Element Ltd.
• Mr. Alfred Watkins, Chairman, Global Solutions Summit
• Ms. Neth Daño, Coordinator and Asia Director ETC Group (the Philippines)

Register here for the G-STIC