unitex@rubbs.fidonet.org (unitex) (08/24/89)
organize missions to Nepal and Jordan.
The Committee will have before it the Secretary-General's report
(document A/CN.11/88) which details the work of the Centre for Science and
Technology for Development during the past two years. That report also
summarizes the overall priorities and guidelines for the biennium 1990-1991.
According to the report, the Centre proposes to concentrate on endogenous
capacity building dialogues at the national level; assessment of new and
emerging areas of science and technology; and harmonization of the United
Nations system in science and technology for development at the country level
via inter-agency missions.
The Committee will also consider a report of the Secretary-General
containing an evaluation of the four-year pilot project on the Advance
Technology Alert System (ATAS) (document A/CN.11/90). The evaluation
concluded that the ATAS, a valuable activity, brought critical new and
emerging technologies to developing countries and enhanced their endogenous
capacities to carry out technology assessments. Recommendations were made for
improving the three elements of the project -- the ATAS Bulletin, the
technology assessment network and assistance to member States.
A report of the Advisory Committee on Science and Technology for
Development on its eighth session (document A/CN.11/91) describes significant
and in many cases unexpected trends in the 1980s which have affected the
capacity of the world community to deal with applying science and technology
to development. The report spells out the subject of endogenous capacity
building and technological innovation in regard to development and states that
the most important message of the Vienna Programme of Action was that
developing countries had the primary responsibility for their own development.
Programme Questions
The Committee will take up the relevant parts of the Secretary-General's
report on the programme performance of the United Nations for the biennium
1986-1987 (document A/43/326 and Corr.1 and Corr.2) and of the report of the
Committee for Programme and Co-ordination on the work of the twenty-eighth
session (document A/43/16/16 Part I).
Also under the item on programme questions, the Committee will examine
the medium-term plan for the period 1992-1997, focusing on the need to
recommend priorities among sub-programmes. In connection with that item, the
Committee will consider the Secretary-General's note on the preparation of the
medium-term plan (document A/43/329). The Committee will also review
recurrent documents and publications on science and technology for
development, in order to screen out documents that have become redundant or
less useful, or that could be issued at less frequent intervals.
Adoption of Agenda and Election of Officers
When the Committee takes up its elections, it will have before it a list
of candidates put forth at the last session (document A/CN.11/87). The Latin
American and Caribbean Group nominated Celso Lafer (Brazil) as Chairman for
the tenth session. Other regional groups nominated members of the Bureau, as
follows: Vice-Chairmen Oleg N. Pashekevich (Byelorussia), Zhu Lilan (China)
and Torsten Westlund (Sweden). The nominee for Rapporteur is James Mugume
(Uganda). At the time of election, the Committee will also be open to further
nominations.
Two notes have been prepared by the Secretariat in connection with the
adoption of the provisional agenda. They concern the provisional organization
of work (document A/CN.11/L.127) and the state of preparedness of
documentation for the session (document A/CN.11/L.128)
Other Matters
The Committee is also scheduled to appoint 14 members of the Advisory
Committee on Science and Technology for Development. The twenty-eight member
Advisory Committee is a body of experts serving three-year terms in their
individual capacities with the number of successive terms limited to two. A
note by the Secretary-General contains nominations of 14 experts for the
three-year term of office (document A/CN.11/92). A special effort was made to
increase the number of qualified women members.
The Committee is further slated to consider its report to the
General Assembly; elect its Chairman for the eleventh session and request
regional groups to nominate other members of the Bureau; consider the
provisional agenda for the eleventh session; and review its decision to meet
biennially rather than annually.
* Origin: UNITEX --> Toward a United Species (1:107/501)
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Patt Haring | UNITEX : United Nations
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