UNESCO Chair workshop on 'Quality Infrastructure and the Institutions for Development' in Geneva
Prof. Carlo Pietrobelli, UNU-MERIT
Carlo Pietrobelli (Professorial Fellow at UNU-MERIT and holder of our UNESCO Chair on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development for Latin America) is co-organising a two-day event in Geneva titled 'Rethinking Institutions of Development: Transformation of Quality Infrastructure’.
This Ad-Hoc Experts Meeting will be held at the Palais des Nations on 9-10 May 2024, and is jointly organized by the Moore School of Business of the University of South Carolina, UNCTAD and the UNESCO Chair. The full event details and related documents can be found here on the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) website.
Background
In the modern world characterized by globally interconnected economies and fast technological change driven by frontier technologies, countries increasingly compete on the ability of firms to develop and adopt new technologies and compete in new markets.
The strengthening of firms’ quality and safety of goods and services, compliance with international standards, and development of new capabilities is a key factor for development, supported by Quality Infrastructures (QI): the ecosystem of public and private institutions that generate and diffuse experiential and applied knowledge to help domestic SMEs transforming their capabilities and meet international process and product standards in an economically sustainable manner.
The renewed attention to industrial policies and their intersection with Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) highlight the importance of QI institutions, such as testing centers, as mechanisms for iterative collaboration and industrial development. A deeper understanding of QI can help address gaps in the recent industrial policy literature, such as the ways in which engagement with the private sector can help deepen and strengthen state capacity.
Venue: Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Date: 09-10 May 2024