WHAT IS ESCWA DOING?
 

Several resolutions of ECOSOC and the General Assembly in the eighties and nineties have called for focused efforts in dissemination of new technologies, in the facilitation of technology transfer and in building scientific and technological capacity, with emphasis on the needs of sustainable development in the Developing Countries and enhancing the competitiveness and productivity of their economies. 

ESCWA Capacity-Building Programmes: 

The fact that past ESCWA work programmes have focused, in targeting the above objectives, on studies and organizing expert meetings was justified by the need to create awareness in, and build consensus on, essential strategic and policy issues considered lacking, at least underdeveloped, in many ESCWA institutions. 

Having adequately addressed these issues in the past, there is now strong need, evident both from the field and in the recommendations of a number of expert group meetings for ESCWA, to undertake operational activities aimed at fostering of technology, research, development and demonstration networks and activities, aimed at linking production and services capacity to enhanced technology inputs.  Thus, participants in at least three of the past expert group meetings of the Technology Section came out in strong support of a more active role by ESCWA in networking in technology capacity building.  The ESCWA meetings of eminent persons in relation to priority areas concerning ESCWA work programmes during the past few years have also emphasized these points.

Technology Parks; Concepts: 

Technology parks can, and have in the past, played an important part in technological capacity building through bringing together, in the same physical location facilities such as R and D, manufacturing, high-level training, technology and business incubation, financing institutions, standardization and calibration laboratories, testing and analytical facilities, industrial services and facilities. 

Technical Advice to Member Countries: 

ESCWA -- through the Technology and Industry Sections as well as Regional Advisers -- has already been approached to provide inputs in the design of technology parks and technology/business incubators from concerned institutions in Syria, Kuwait, Lebanon, PAT, Jordan, etc. 

The ESCWA Initiative: 

The fact that institutions in a number of ESCWA member countries, e.g. Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE, are in the process of setting up park facilities, contemplating their establishment or seeking advice on such measures, is further evidence of the need for ESCWA to play a well-defined role on this front.

It is in this context that an ESCWA initiative aimed at fostering the creation of technology parks, essentially as instruments for networking at the disciplinary, sectoral and functional levels would constitute a logical and a necessary step at the present time.  The role that ESCWA would need to play could focus on the following tasks:

preparation of documents on the role played by technology parks and other capacity building schemes, with case studies from developed and developing countries, including nascent examples from some ESCWA member countries;

elaborating frameworks for establishing capacity building schemes with at least three models in mind, to cater for variations in the nature and diversity of prevailing economic conditions and degree of sophistication of national S and T and innovation systems;

monitoring activities aimed at the creation of technology parks and their subsequent operations in the ESCWA member countries with the aim of facilitating exchange of know-how and expertise;

playing the part of hub for a network of technology parks and other capacity building schemes in the ESCWA member countries.