26 September 2015: The UN, Member States and partners launched the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM), an initiative to increase the creation and use of innovative technologies for achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. The TFM is a collaboration between governments, civil society, the private sector, the scientific community, and the UN, and was agreed during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD3), and in the 2030 Agenda adopted on 25 September 2015.

The launch event took place on 26 September 2015 in New York, US, on the margins of the UN Sustainable Development Summit.

Mogens Lykketoft, President of the 70th UN General Assembly (UNGA), said he will support the TFM’s “early and effective” operationalization. He highlighted a high-level event during UNGA 70, taking place on 11-12 April 2016, on securing implementation of commitments relating to the SDGs, climate change and related financing, and on engaging all stakeholders.

Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France, highlighted the role of technology in the context of the climate negotiations in Paris at the end of 2015, further stressing the need for a commitment from all parties, private investments, and international partnerships.

Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, explained that technology facilitation also means enabling developing countries to develop technologies themselves, while Sujata Mehta, Ministry of External Affairs of India, expressed her hope that the TFM would become the home for technology discussions at the UN.

The TFM will comprise: a UN Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for the SDGs, chaired by UNEP and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA); an annual forum; and an online platform as a gateway for information on existing STI initiatives, mechanisms and programmes.

The IATT is initially composed of: the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); DESA; the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); the International Telecommunication Union (ITU); the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); and the World Bank. The online platform will be used to map information on existing STI initiatives, mechanisms and programmes and to facilitate access to information, knowledge, experience, best practices, and lessons learned on STI initiatives and policies. The multi-stakeholder forum on STI will convene once a year, for a period of two days, to discuss STI cooperation around thematic areas for SDG implementation.

The launch event was co-organized by the IATT and the Governments of France and Brazil. [UNEP Press Release] [UNGA President Remarks] [DESA Press Release]