Leveraging new technologies’ impact through technology assessments

On November 16, 2022, panelists and member States' delegates discussed the topic "Leveraging new technologies’ impact through technology assessments." The session opened with a series of insightful presentations that illustrated the catalyst role of technology in the achievement of the SDGs. They also heard about the progress made by countries participating in UNCTAD’s technology assessment (TA) project. The ensuing interactive discussion yielded some important conclusions:

• Member States expressed their appreciation for UNCTAD’s technical cooperation in TA;
• TA was recognized as a key element of policymakers’ toolkit to help adopt frontier technologies in developing countries in a sustainable and respectful manner;
• Developing countries face an array of challenges in carrying out TAs, including a dearth of human capital and technical skills. There is a clear need for sustained capacity building and financing from the international community and multilateral organizations;
• TA should be approached as a global, multilateral effort to ensure that this tool can effectively produce sound policies and avoid potential negative effects on developing countries when technologies are assessed without considering their potential effects on the economies and societies of developing countries.