THE growing gulf in technological and scientific capacity between developed and developing countries has been a major source of concern for decades. This 鈥渢echnology divide鈥� marginalises developing countries and makes it hard for them to meet their basic needs, participate in the global economy and manage the environment. The conventional response to this challenge has been to call for technology transfer from industrialised to developing countries. But decades of promises and diplomatic wrangling have produced precious few results.
Fed up with waiting for technology to trickle down from the developed nations, developing countries have begun to realise that they are better off cooperating with each other, and have started to work together to meet their technology needs. The new arrangements mark a fundamental shift. They are directed at solving problems of the tropics that attract little interest in the developed world.
Take infectious diseases. Most global biomedical research has focused on the problems of industrialised countries. Now developing countries are aiming to change that by creating alliances that focus on diseases prevalent in developing countries. For example, science ministers from Brazil, India and South Africa have been working together to identify areas for cooperation to prevent and treat HIV infection and AIDS. They held their first meeting in October 2004, as part of the India-Brazil-South Africa trilateral commission.
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Science and technology are playing an increasing role in international diplomacy. China, for example, is placing science and technology at the centre of its diplomatic relations. It has signed nearly 100 such agreements, two-thirds of which are with other developing countries. This approach illustrates a growing interest among developing countries in cooperating over technology through voluntary arrangements rather than through binding international treaties. Many of those signing such agreements see China as a role model in the use of science and technology for rapid economic transformation. China, in turn, sees such cooperation as an opportunity to extend its diplomatic reach.
鈥淪cience and technology are playing an increasing role in international diplomacy鈥�
Another encouraging example of the new model of international cooperation is the recent development of a different method to synthesise a vaccine against the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type B through a partnership between Cuba and Canada. Pharmaceutical companies currently produce only 100 million doses of vaccine a year, just 20 per cent of the number required worldwide. With the new and cheaper method, Cuba alone could manufacture an extra 50 million doses a year.
Developing countries are also setting up institutions that seek to solve local problems by tapping into the expertise of their nationals living abroad. One example is the Arab Science and Technology Foundation, which was created in 2002 in the United Arab Emirates to promote international cooperation on science and technology among Arab countries and other members of the international community. This independent, non-profit organisation aims to bring together Arab scientists at home and overseas.
So what has brought about this flurry of initiatives? Many of them are fuelled by rich countries鈥� diminishing interest in finding solutions to the problems of the tropics. A classic example is the declining financial support for the flagship Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, which promotes sustainable agricultural development and food security across the developing world.
Another factor is the continuing shift of research activities in the rich countries from the public to the private sector. This has put a damper on the prospects for international cooperation in research, because while developing countries continue to rely on public-sector institutions, private corporations in developed countries are reluctant to share technology with them.
The debate over genetically modified foods also promises to shift diplomatic alliances. China and India, for example, are starting to demonstrate the benefits of agricultural biotechnology for farmers, and this technology could become the focus of new biotechnology partnerships.
If industrialised countries continue to ignore the importance of science and technology for development, they will start to see developing countries鈥� allegiances drift away from them in favour of alliances with other developing regions. Today鈥檚 patterns of international cooperation were shaped largely by our early agricultural knowledge. With the rise of the knowledge economy they are likely to shift dramatically.