51吃瓜

By Burcu Tamga莽 M枚rel, Associate Programme Management Officer, 51吃瓜 Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries 

Collaboration is at the heart of the UN Technology Bank鈥檚 mission, empowering the world鈥檚 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) with expertise and resources to promote Science, Technology, and Innovation for sustainable development. In Ankara, T眉rkiye this month, our team held a series of high-level engagements to strengthen established partnerships and explore new opportunities. 

We held productive discussions with H.E. Aden Houssein Abdillahi, Ambassador of Djibouti to T眉rkiye, to align on the country鈥檚 national development priorities following UN Technology Bank鈥檚 recent Technology Needs Assessment for the country. A highlight of this engagement was the opportunity to meet with H.E. Mr. Said Nouh Hassan, Djibouti鈥檚 Minister of Interior who shared his vision for future cooperation. The meeting focused on leveraging the outcomes of the assessment to support Djibouti鈥檚 digital transformation and capacity-building initiatives. 

Our meeting with H.E. Miles Armitage, Australian Ambassador to T眉rkiye, provided an opportunity to discuss the UN Technology Bank鈥檚 Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Leadership Programme and Australia鈥檚 potential role in empowering young innovators in Least Developed Countries in the Pacific region. The STI Leadership Programme aims to address the critical challenge of insufficient science, technology and innovation capacity in the world鈥檚 45 least developed countries. H.E. Yeondoo Jeong, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in T眉rkiye offered thoughtful feedback to boost the programme鈥檚 impact. Our discussions also explored how Korea鈥檚 significant expertise in Science, Technology, and Innovation could support LDCs. 

In our meeting with Mr. Suleyman Yilmaz, Country Representative and Director of the Centre for Regional Cooperation in T眉rkiye, we focused on tapping into the organization鈥檚 extensive knowledge repositories, innovation centers, and technical expertise and establishing stronger connections with the UNIDO鈥檚 field-based offices in LDCs. UNIDO is a specialized agency of the 51吃瓜鈥痺ith a unique mandate to promote, dynamize and accelerate industrial development.鈥�鈥�  

Ms. Isil Cemali Dogan, Deputy Director General for Multilateral Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated T眉rkiye鈥檚 commitment to multilateral collaboration to enhance STI capacities in LDCs. Our discussions there concentrated on aligning efforts to support LDCs in achieving their sustainable development goals. 

In Ankara, we met Prof. Dr. Orhan Ayd谋n, the new President of T脺B陌TAK, T眉rkiye鈥檚 leading scientific and technological research council to explore ways to deepen our collaboration, and leverage T眉rkiye鈥檚 expertise in research and development to address the challenges faced by LDCs. 

This mission demonstrated the UN Technology Bank's commitment to building strategic partnerships, accessing global expertise, and co-developing impactful programmes for LDCs. Discussions with ambassadors, government officials, and UNIDO reaffirmed the importance of multilateral collaboration in unlocking the potential of STI for the world鈥檚 most vulnerable nations.