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The Expert Group Meeting on Coordination of Technology Policies to Increase Productivity and Competitiveness within the Global Context: Capacity-Building Initiatives for the Twenty-First Century was held from 1 to 3 November 2000 at United Nations House, headquarters of ESCWA in Beirut.

In total, forty-one experts took part in the Meeting, including experts from nine ESCWA member countries, in addition to participants from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Independent consultants from Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, in addition to experts from the United Nations and other international and regional organizations also took part in the Meeting.

The various sessions, some of which ran in parallel, covered the following themes:

1. S and T initiatives in the ESCWA member countries (keynote address);

2. Technology initiatives in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe;

3. Science and technology initiatives in selected Arab countries;

4. Application/discipline-specific S and T initiatives;

5. Incubators and science parks;

6. Initiatives to promote innovation and enhance core business functions;

7. Technology initiatives for women;

8. Design and implementation of future initiatives for S and T capacity-building and innovation promotion;

9. Formulation and implementation of national initiatives (panel discussion).

The Meeting was organized by ESCWA. Due to the kind support provided by the UNESCO Cairo office and the Arab School for Science and Technology, it was possible for experts from non-ESCWA Arab countries to take part in and present useful substantive contributions at the Meeting. Click here for the report.