845 



For Want of a Nail? 



An Assessment of Prospects for the United Nations 

 Conference on Science and 1 echnology for Development 



Rodney W. Nichols 



It is nishion ii->lc m some cirJt-s t(i be cvnical about conferences of ihe L'nitecl 

 Natioi:>. AttcT all. the cynics say, throwing conferences has become a numlm^ly 

 rhetorical and naggini^ly unproductive response to international problems. So uh.u 

 ^oc c; rould coni'- from still another conference — the United Nations Confe'^fiKr in 

 Scit.iL and rcciinolot;y for Development UNCSTD)r' Yet this Cunterence mil be 

 held 'n V'lenr^a during; August 1979. Whv 'S it beini) hckl.^ Could it be a was'e ot 

 time"'' Could it make a ^enuii.c difference 'O planning for the i9S(,s.^ 



In this intr >duction to the UNCSTD Issue of Technu/o,Q)/ In Society: An .' / 

 national juurtioi. 'lie tasks are to sketch the origins of the UN Conference on Sc .-nee 

 and I i.-chnology tor Development, to e-. ;' late the status ot the preparation^-, ind 

 then lo estimate the nrospec's oi the Conte-'^'nce itself. Just as too much candu- cm 

 sometimes be the enemy ot si^ccess in ; i.rsuing diplomacy, too little candm : an 

 .son'etimes be the enemy of realism in 171 inagini; techi^ology. Si- :he stvle uu lie 

 informal and irank in e.xp'mrinp the convergence ot UN style diplomac\' \\\\\\ 

 econi)mic lacis and social b..|>es. in the <. ntext of tho scientific .ind lechnol' "ical 

 th(mes for the Conference. 



Rec(inn,.isiance 



W( shall first scoiu out the terrain. Sine- the early 197()s. the proponents f.ave 

 b(!;f-.ed that a conference on the apphca ,-ns of science and technology woul, ':el[i 

 to S'.'ve the hardest develcpmental p/o'i'iems of mo.-,t countries, especial^- 'lie 

 P'H rest. The rationale is straighiforwar ! development problems are urge'- uki 

 tl' M solutions depend pau . on scienti -kvX technology. 



1 /iiring the !97(ls, and partic ularly ■\'-: ■ the Organization of Petroleum F\; ■•'tint; 

 (.i':ntr;es ■.0''f'C;; gaine.^ p(Aver, p ocal relationships ch;':iL:.ed drjui.c, .illy 

 Ktween the developing r-nu'itrus (DC. ."id the less de\c'lnpi'd c )iiniriL-s •! ' 'Cs). 

 Mo"-: LDCs. I 'sj-ue tber" ''ormous dii rences in f.iny respects, were un'ti d in 

 tee-'ng conridei.t aS'iui nuking more d' 'ands on the IjCs. These new c -i ;ands 



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