G-77 NATIONS TO MEET IN DUBAI ON SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
ICT, Biotechnology & Safe Drinking Water top agenda
The convening of this conference was decided at the South Summit in Havana (10-14 April 2000) with the objective of formulating global strategies and clear policies within the South pro the promotion of science and technology.
The Conference is being sponsored by the Group of 77 in New York in close coordination with the Paris Chapter of the Group of 77, currently chaired by the United Arab Emirates, and also in collaboration with the Municipality of Dubai.
The four-day Conference will bring together policy makers from member countries of the Group of 77, as well as representatives from relevant scientific organizations, research institutions, universities, foundations, business sector and other stakeholder groups dealing with science and technology.
To facilitate this objective, there will be a high-level interactive dialogue among Ministers of Science and Technology, senior officials, scientists and researchers from the South, on October 27.
Three workshops on information communication technology, safe drinking water, and biotechnology will be held during the conference. Other parallel events, including an exhibition, are scheduled to be organized by the Municipality of Dubai.
In a joint message to the upcoming conference, Ambassador Milos Alcalay, Chairman of the Group of 77 in New York, and Ambassador Hussein Ghubash, Chairman of the Group of 77 Paris Chapter at UNESCO, said:
"Rapid advances in science and technology, particularly in such areas as microelectronics, biotechnology and information technologies, have played a critical role in economic and social development. Developing countries, however, lag far behind in knowledge generation. The disparity between the developed and developing world in their capacity to produce scientific and technical knowledge and to utilize this knowledge in support of social and economic development has emerged as a major challenge facing the international community."
To raise public awareness about the Conference, the Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77 is launching a new Web site devoted to the Dubai conference. The new Web site can be accessed through the Group of 77 home page at the Internet address http://www.g77.org.
Intended as a site for news and general information concerning the Conference, the Web site will be continuously updated by the Office of the Chairman. It features a joint welcome message by the Chairman of the Group of 77 and the Chairman of the Paris Chapter of the Group of 77.
Also offered are sections describing the general back-ground of the Conference and information about the host country and the city of Dubai. Information on conference registration and accreditation for participants and the media is also available. A Press Centre in Dubai will provide up-to-the minute press releases about the conference, statements and other public information.
The Group of 77 is the largest single coalition of developing nations in the world. The Group was founded on 15 June 1964, by 77 developing countries at the first session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Since then, the Group has grown to 133 nations, representing almost the entire developing world, including China. The Group has five Chapters located at Geneva, Nairobi, Paris, Rome, Vienna and Washington, D.C. (G-24). Over the past nearly four decades, the G-77's role and influence have expanded as seen most recently at the first South Summit.
For further information, please contact the Conference Secretariat located at the Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77, telephone: (212) 963-3816; fax: (212) 963-3515, E-mail: g77off@unmail.org.
The JOURNAL OF THE GROUP OF 77 is published at the United Nations Headquarters by the Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77 in New York in collaboration with Inter Press Service (IPS). Contributions to the Journal are welcome and should be addressed to the Managing Editor of the Journal: Office of the Chairman of the Group of 77, U.N. Headquarters, Secretariat building, Room S-3953, New York, N.Y. 10017, U.S.A.
Publisher:
Ambassador Milos Alcalay
Chairman of the Group of 77, New York
Managing Editor:
Mourad Ahmia
Executive Secretary
Editor:
Thalif Deen
Inter Press Service
Editorial Assistant:
Jose Hernandez
Telephone: (212) 963-3816
(212)963-0192
Fax: (212)963 3515
(212)963-0050
E-Mail: g77off@unmail.org
The Journal of the Group of 77 is also available on the Internet at: http://www.g77.org