Global Policy Forum

Thalif Deen

The chairman of the Group of 77 Ambassador Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser believes that the future of developing nations is inextricably linked with the degree of progress achieved in the field of science and technology. "In this age of rapid high technology-- and the phenomenal growth of the information superhighway-- we have to increase our efforts to provide our scientists with the tools to conduct research and keep pace with the day-to-day technical advancements,'' he said.

Ambassador Al-Nasser, who is also the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, said the world is also witnessing a major breakthrough in information and communications technologies (ICT). But unfortunately, he said, there is a ever-widening gap between developing and developed nations. "We have to narrow this digital divide." In his interview with Terra Viva, the G-77 chairman singled out the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) as one of the institutions that has provided Third World scientists with opportunities for extensive research in science and technology, including developments in physics and mathematics.

The ICTP's location in Trieste also transforms the city into an international centre of scientific excellence, he added. "We need more such centres in order to foster scientific knowledge among developing nations," he said. Ambassador Al-Nasser said the importance of science and technology for developing nations was clearly emphasised in the G-77 Havana Programme of Action adopted by heads of state at the South-South summit in Cuba in 2000. "The Group of 77 is fully conscious of the importance of science and technology for the advancement of developing nations-- and particularly the least developed countries (LDC), mostly from Africa," he added.

In the field of information technologies, he said, the ICT Task Force appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan is seeking ways to develop new models of collaboration to advance the global effort to bridge the digital divide. The Task Force is also facilitating the pooling of relevant experience of both developed and developing nations and the sharing of lessons learned in introducing and promoting ICT.

As pointed out by the Task Force, information and communications technologies have become the backbone of the global information economy and has given rise to a new information society. The future of our countries depends on scientific research as the key to the creation of knowledge and achievement of progress. "We cannot afford to lose our scientists and physicists to the developed world. We have to provide them with the right environment to conduct their research," he said. "We in the developing world cannot afford to be left behind in the race for technology," he added.