During his speech, Singaporean Minister for the Prime Minister’s Office Mohamad Maliki Binm Osman stressed that harnessing the potential of science, technology and innovation requires an infrastructure, inclusiveness and international collaboration.

“We must develop a public digital infrastructure as an important element in harnessing the social and economic benefits of technology. This means to create open and secure digital platforms that can provide public services such as online health services,” he said.

He also urged for promoting inclusion in using new tools, for which it is convenient for governments to adopt a system based on human beings and on working with community sectors to strengthen access to these tools for all.

He also emphasized the need to strengthen international cooperation in this area, which is critical for developing countries and for technological and economic progress.

In this regard, the global digital compact provides an important platform for member states to help achieve standards that facilitate economic transactions and help expand the availability of and access to digital goods.

Science, technology and innovation have the potential to speed up the fulfillment of the 2030 Global Agenda, Binm Osman remarked.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Mamadou Tangara, on the other hand, extolled the existing possibilities in strengthening collaboration among developing nations.

He acknowledged that the technological progress and innovative solutions in the 20th century were not equally enjoyed by all nations and, as such, urged for a greater integration.

“We must strengthen international collaboration and solidarity in the field of science, technology and innovation. We must also contribute so that scientific results through research and academic institutions can achieve national solutions,” he said.

South-South cooperation is the best approach to solve climate change, inequalities, education, adequate access to energy, and Tangara called for the creation of new mechanisms to increase links between less developed states and with triangular partnerships.

The G77+China Summit, which opened on Friday at the Havana International Conference Center (HICC), is being held under the theme “The current challenges of development: the role of science, technology and innovation”.

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