Statement byAmb. Puneet Agrawal, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Indiaat the Sixty-Eighth Session of the Trade and Development Board

Item 5: Technology and Innovation Report 2021 : Catching Technological Waves – Innovation with Equity

[Wednesday 23 June 2021 (afternoon session 3pm)

President of the Trade and Development Board Ambassador MaimunaTarishi

Excellencies, 

Distinguished delegates,

1. India aligns itself with the statement delivered by Afghanistan on behalf of the G-77.

Madam President,

2. I would like to begin by thanking the Secretariat for preparation of the report on this important issue. The report highlights that frontier technologies have the potential to help developing countries leapfrog to achieve their developmental priorities. It stresses, however, that they also have the potential to sharpen inequalities among developed and developing countries. In this context the Report provides important reference points for shaping the discussions on frontier technologies and innovation from the perspective of developing countries.

Madam President,

3. The Report highlights the existing gap between the global south and north, which if not addressed, will leave the most vulnerable behind. The Report also presents a ‘readiness index’ as a tool to assess a country’s readinessto leverage frontier technologies. Countries best positioned to leverage these are in the developed world while countries in the developing world, except some outliers, lag behind. India has been identified as the greatest outlier and well positioned to use these technologies as a launch pad for greaterdevelopment and innovation. This is an outcome of a sustained policy framework, which has placed technology and innovation and the center of our developmental efforts.
4. India's advances in the world of tech and start-up are well known. India is home to one of the world's largest start-up ecosystems. Since 2016, 50,000 start-ups have been set up in India. India is now home to 54 unicorns, $1.0 billion club, and the number is expected to go up to 150 by 2025. Indian youth have innovated tech solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems.
   
   
5. The Covid-19 pandemic, while has caused immense suffering, has shown us the benefits of research and developments in technology and innovation. It has also given impetus to digital transformation.  Our doctors adapted telemedicine on a large scale. Two vaccines are being made in India and more are in the development or trial stage.Our indigenous IT platform, AarogyaSetu, enabled effective contact tracing.Our COWIN digital platform has enabled launch of one of the world’s largest vaccination programmes.  Imaginative use of technologies and innovation have helped in making India’s fight against covid-19 pandemic more robust.

Madam President,

6. Paradoxically, the pandemic has widened the digital gap. This gap, if not bridged through appropriate financing and technology transfer, can create new fault lines. While technology and innovation has strengthened our fight in the current crisis, they must also help us prepare for the challenges of the future. As the Report suggests, upskilling in digital sectors, closing the gaps in ICT infrastructure, facilitating technology transfer of relevant product and services should become a priority for international cooperation.

7. There is also a need to reorient technology and innovation to leverage them to meet the SDGs. Innovation in healthcare, eco-friendly technology, including waste recycling, agriculture, new age tools of learning should be prioritized to help us achieve an equitable and inclusive future.

Thank You.