UN Technology Bank ramps up engagement with Stakeholders

3 July 2024

Blog by Ounfanatt Edui - Associate Programme Officer

Last week a small UNTB team led by our Managing Director met with our key stakeholders and partners in Ankara, Türkiye. This was the second visit in the last two months as the UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries continues its outreach to its stakeholders.

One highlight of the time in Ankara was the conversations with Ambassadors from Least Developed Countries. We met with H.E Aden Houssein Abdillahi Djibouti's Ambassador with whom we discussed our prior support to Djibouti and future collaboration. With the Sierra Leone, we discussed with H.E. Mohamed Hassan Kaisamba the follow-up to our Technology Needs assessment conducted in his country. The engagement with the Ambassador of Burkina Faso centered around support to his country and a possible regional programme for the countries in his Region. It was also good to meet the Embassy of Togo and discuss future collaboration given the importance of leveraging science, technology, and innovation to help drive transformational change for countries like Togo.

Continuing our strong and ongoing dialogue with our host country, we met with H.E. Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology of Türkiye. Our discussions focused on the flagship project, Technology Makers Lab initiative and how such an innovative programme can be replicated in the Least Developed Countries.  It was great to see the continued commitment of Minister Kacir to the work of UN Technology Bank and supporting the Least Developed Countries in the areas of Science Technology and Innovation.

The meetings with the Director General of The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), were invaluable. We gained insights into the crucial work SESRIC does in supporting OIC member states, 21 of which are LDCs. Our discussions focused on bridging the research and development gap in the countries we mutually support.

Meeting with H.E. Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology of Türkiye

Of course, our development partners are crucial in helping to deliver results for the Least Developed Countries. Consequently, we had a range of constructive meetings with the Ambassadors of Italy H.E Giorgio Marrapodi, Norway’s Ambassador Andreas Gaarder, New Zealand’s Ambassador Zoe Coulson-Sinclair, Representatives of the Embassy of the United States of America, Australia and the delegation of the European Union.

Meeting with Ambassadors of Italy H.E. Giorgio Marrapodi and Norway’s Ambassador H.E. Andreas Gaarder

We left Ankara energized by the continued strong commitment of our client countries and development partners as we work together to help deliver results for the poorest and most vulnerable countries on the planet, also known as the Least Developed Countries. The United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries is absolutely committed to this agenda.