UNCTAD: Poor countries need technology
The UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warns against development cooperation being confined to basic social services. This year’s UNCTAD Least Developed Countries Report calls for technology, science and innovation to be promoted more vigorously in the developing world. These areas, the report says, have been neglected by development policy in recent years. Machinery imports by the least developed countries, for example, have been declining for years in relation to various economic indicators and population figures. The report also criticizes the patent policy of the rich countries, which it says often impacts negatively on developing countries’ technological progress. (ell)