The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in partnership with the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, hosted the inaugural Asia‐Pacific Innovation Forum in Tehran, with global and regional leaders calling for inclusive and collaborative approaches to technology that leave no one behind.
The Forum emphasized the importance of science, technology and innovation (STI) and its key role as the most transformative means of implementing the SDGs; called on the United Nations and other international, regional and subregional organizations to provide technical assistance and capacity building to support regional development needs and priorities; affirmed that technology and innovation should be inclusive in terms of engaging women and grassroots innovators, while ensuring that technology and innovation benefit the very poorest especially in the least developed countries; and highlighted the critical role of North-South, South-South and triangular, regional and international cooperation on technology and innovation so that no one is left behind.
The Forum stressed the importance of national sustainable development planning processes, policies and strategies, and the need for an enabling international environment, and stressed that further support is needed from developed countries especially regarding technology development and transfer, capacity building and financing. The Forum also emphasized the important role of technology start‐ups for sustainable development and encouraged leaders to support in harnessing their development.
Launched at the Forum was an ESCAP report titled “Establishing Science and Technology Parks: A Reference Guidebook for Policymakers in Asia and the Pacific”. The report analyses the evolution of science and technology parks in the region and serves as a reference for policymakers developing such parks. The report can be downloaded from: https://www.unescap.org/resources/escap-stp-2019.
Additional Documents
Presentations
- Session 1: Dr. Pun-Arj Chairatana, Executive Director, National Innovation Agency, Thailand
- Session 1: Mr. Rajabov Jahongir, Director, 55 Startup, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Tajikistan
- Session 1: Ms. Maryam Javan Shahraki, UNIDO Representative, Iran Country Office
- Session 1: Mr. Mostafa Mohaghegh, Senior Coordinator, APDIM, ESCAP
- Session 3: Mr. David Sokhasing, Managing Director, Angel Investment Network, Indonesia
- Session 3: Mr. Hamidreza Amirinia, Barakat Venture Fund, I.R. Iran
- Session 3: Mr. Jinwon Kang, Research Fellow, R&D Evaluation Center, Korean Institute of S&T Evaluation Planning
- Session 3: Mr. Batnairamdal Otgonshar, Advisor to the Chief of the Cabinet Office, Mongolia
- Session 4: Ms. Sharmila Binti Mohamed Salleh, CEO, Yayasan Inovasi, Malaysia
- Session 4: Ms. Anamika Dey, CEO, Gujarat Grassroots Innovation Augmentation Network (GIAN), India
- Session 4: Ms. Shahida Sultana, Deputy Secretary, Access to Information (a2i) Programme, Government of Bangladesh
- Session 4: Ms. Marta Perez Cuso, Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP
- Session 5: Mr. Tengfei Wang, Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP
- Session 5: Mr. Sunkook Kwon, Secretary-General, Asian Science Park Association (ASPA)
- Session 5: Ms. Sri Setiawati, Director of the Center for Research, Science and Technology, Indonesia
- Session 5: Mr. Amin Reza Khaleghian, Director General of Communications and International Affairs, Pardis Technology Park, Iran
- Session 6: Mr. Denis Nkala, UNOSSC Regional Coordinator
- Session 6: Mr. Dato Sharifah Maimunah Syed Zin, Director, International Science, ISTIC
- Session 6: Mr. Raslan Ahmad, Senior Vice President, Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology Cyberjaya, Malaysia
- Session 6: Mr. George Benaroya, Vice President Finance, Long Term Investments, LLC
