India seeks technology transfer for development
Thursday, 05 February 2004, 20:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha Wednesday urged developed nations to provide enhanced market access and technology transfer on non-commercial terms for promoting sustainable development. "Any true partnership between the North and the South should see the former commit to the target of Official Development Assistance (ODA) of 0.7 percent of the GDP and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies on concessional and even non-commercial terms," Sinha said. Addressing the Fourth Delhi Sustainable Development Summit organised here by leading environment NGO, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Sinha said: "Partnerships are also called for between developed and developing countries to reform the global financial architecture, to make it more democratic and responsive to the needs of sustainable development." Such partnerships, Sinha said called for developed nations to "provide enhanced market access to products from developing countries and to refrain from trade distorting and projectionist practices". The minister said in a limited sense, terms for sustainable development were negotiated at Rio and Johannesburg conferences with understanding being reached on the role of NGOs in helping the governments to supplement their responsibilities. "The 12th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD 12) to be held in April 2004 (in New York) will provide an opportunity to examine the synergies provided by partnerships in the key sectors of water, human settlements and sanitation," said Sinha. Stating that CSD 12 will be a trend setter as it is the first meeting of the comprehensive work cycle agreed to in 2003, Sinha expressed hope the outcome of the commission would "include high ideals of partnership" including the central role and responsibilities of governments.
Source: IANS
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