Inauguration of the Access to Research for Development and Innovation Service

Minister Barua
Director General Gurry
Secretary General Bammel
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a pleasure for me to be with you at the inauguration of the Access to Research for Development and Innovation Service – ARDI. The project has already been described eloquently by the previous speakers, so I will not dwell on the details. I would rather try to place it within the broader efforts of the United Nations family to promote sustainable economic growth for development.

We come together here at a time of multiple crises – from deep financial and economic uncertainty and high food prices, to the continuous warming of our planet and a rapidly-spreading virus. Common to all these challenges is that they call for new approaches and inclusive partnerships – and ARDI provides an illustrative example of both.

Despite advances, we are not fully on track to realizing the Millennium Development Goals within the 2015 deadline. We can only accelerate progress through innovation. This is important across all goals, but particularly with respect to the health-related ones. Less than two weeks ago, Governments at the annual High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council, which takes place this year in Geneva, recognized the vital role of research in this field. In their Ministerial Declaration, they stated their commitment to promoting research and development, knowledge-sharing and provision and use of information and communications technology for health, including through facilitating affordable access by all countries, especially developing ones. Here, ARDI is a practical tool to help reverse the negative trends by empowering developing countries to help themselves.

A comprehensive, concerted approach to reduce the knowledge-gap and encourage greater participation by developing countries is necessary if we are to achieve the MDGs. This has to include all stakeholders – national Governments, donors, the entire United Nations system, other international organizations, civil society and the private sector. I am pleased that all these stakeholders are represented here today.

For the United Nations, a strong inter-agency effort is key, and I appreciate the involvement of several United Nations entities in this effort as a demonstration of the Organization’s common direction and drive for development. The ARDI project builds on the achievements and experience of WHO, FAO and UNEP in sharing information in their respective areas. ARDI will now broaden the subject base, and allow for greater exchange also across disciplines. An inter-disciplinary approach is imperative in confronting our shared challenges as these cut across all thematic boundaries. This inclusive and outward-looking collaboration can serve as a model to other parts of the United Nations – and indeed to other stakeholders.

Allowing access to available scientific and technological data, information and analysis is neither a zero-sum game nor a short-term one-way process. What we need is a balanced approach that takes into account both the need to protect copyright to enable innovation, and to share information to cultivate further innovation. In these debates, we sometimes focus mainly on developing countries as “receivers” of know-how. But, with the right tools and adequate resources, they are also potentially significant “producers” of knowledge.

Pooling and exchange of expertise bring mutual long-term gains. At a time of global economic uncertainty, we must draw on the talent and skills of all. By facilitating the work of scientists and researchers in developing countries, we enable them to fulfil their potential and contribute their creativity both to the local and the global common good. This is the path to meaningful long-term sustainable development because it produces initiatives tailored to local conditions and concerns, builds local capacity, generates productivity increases and stimulates diversification in our knowledge-based economic environment.

The economic and financial crisis carries the risk of cuts to funding for research, teaching and training. Yet, these are among the most critical sectors to bring an end to the crisis. If these areas are not nurtured, the crisis could, in fact, deepen further and recovery would take longer. It is our hope that ARDI – and other projects to facilitate research – send a clear signal to Governments and other stakeholders to maintain the focus on – and funding for – research, teaching and training. The United Nations family has consistently been advocating and working concretely for such a long-term approach to address the underlying structural causes of the crisis – and through this, turn it into an opportunity for progress.

In this context, we must also keep in mind that ARDI, or any access to information, is not an end in itself. For this information to be used effectively and have an impact, it must be coupled with continued training, capacity-building and technology transfers and ongoing improvement in the knowledge infrastructure.

ARDI and its sister projects within the United Nations also point to the value of enhanced engagement between research and policy. The input from research and academia helps to base policy-making on a sound footing and brings important nuance and detail. The United Nations Office at Geneva has been working for a number of years, with our colleagues in the United Nations system, to strengthen the ties between these two communities. I hope that ARDI can also become a vehicle for reinforcing these important links.

ARDI is a welcome addition to the initiatives of the United Nations to step up our development efforts and we look forward to following its progress.

Thank you very much.