Technology and innovation for inclusive development

The Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission

1. Recognizes the important contribution of science, technology and innovation to industrial, economic and social development and to the improvement of the livelihood of people and achieving more inclusive development, as for example, in the case of inclusive innovation initiatives, which can directly contribute to progress in areas such as poverty reduction, gender equality and women’s empowerment, access to health, education and other basic services;
    
2. Notes with appreciation the opportunity to review practical experiences of inclusive science, technology and innovation policies, and stresses in this regard the importance for countries to secure an enabling environment to develop innovations that meet the needs of low-income people and other vulnerable or potentially excluded groups, and acknowledges the crucial role of science, technology and innovation policies in this regard in strengthening the capacity of countries to generate sustainable inclusive innovation;
    
3. Requests the secretariat to continue to assist developing countries, in particular least developed countries, and countries with economies in transition, in strengthening their national capacity in science, technology and innovation, including in the area of inclusive innovation, through the sharing of experiences and mutual learning on science, technology and innovation policies, carrying out relevant research on science, technology and innovation policy and conducting capacity-building initiatives.