United Nations Philippines consults DOST to strengthen South-South and Triangular Cooperation
On 27 August 2021, Dr. Harnik Deol, the Lead International Consultant on South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) of the United Nations in the Philippines met with Assistant Secretary Leah J. Buendia of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to discuss and identify the strategic opportunities of the country in science, technology, and innovation (STI).
The United Nations aims to set up a South-South and Triangular Cooperation facility. Based on the 2019 UN Conference on South-South Cooperation, Member States have urged the United Nations development system to “enhance assistance for developing countries and to act as an enabler in seeking or facilitating potential cooperation partners in several strategic areas, in line with national development priorities, as well as to continue to support regional and subregional organizations in promoting sustainable development practices”.
Asec. Buendia and Dr. Deol discussed the Philippines’ strengths in science, technology, and innovation (STI) such as food processing and innovation, agriculture, and waste management. Asec. Buendia mentioned the various priority areas of the DOST in accordance with the DOST Agenda 2017-2022 such as health sufficiency, food and nutrition, agriculture, biodiversity, transport and mobility, industrial manufacturing, creative industry, renewable energy, OneLab, and OneSTore.
Dr. Deol, on the other hand, mentioned that the Philippines can also benefit from SSTC and asked about the preferred modalities of cooperation of the Department and areas where it can explore more. For her part, Asec. Buendia identified that the country can learn more on artificial intelligence (AI), industrialization/Industry 4.0, and nuclear science research, especially for medical applications. Dr. Deol, upon hearing this pronouncement, expressed optimism about the possible future collaborations.
In closing, Asec. Buendia reaffirmed that the DOST will remain committed to contribute to the success of the UN’s initiative in SSTC and the Department will continue to cooperate with the UN Country Team in the Philippines to establish the SSTC facility. (By Karen Lou Mabagos, DOST-ITCU)
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