Mr. Deodat MAHARAJ, Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries, paid a visit to SESRIC to explore potential collaborative opportunities between the two institutions and enhance capacity building and sustainable development within the OIC region.

During the meeting, H.E. Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK provided a comprehensive briefing on the Centre’s activities, highlighting its various initiatives, capacity-building programs, and projects designed in line with the needs of the OIC countries and elaborated on how SESRIC collaborates with national, regional, and international institutions to implement its activities effectively. She touched upon that the OIC Member Countries group could only allocate 0.6% of their GDPs to research and development and having only 700 researchers per million people. This requires concerted efforts among the national and international agencies to bridge the research and development gap across the OIC region.

For his part, H.E. MAHARAJ appreciated the warm welcome extended to him by SESRIC and recognized the significant achievements of SESRIC in fostering development across the OIC region. He emphasized the potential synergies between the UN Technology Bank and SESRIC, particularly in leveraging technology for sustainable development and capacity building.

The meeting concluded with both parties acknowledging the importance of exploring joint initiatives that can leverage the strengths of their respective institutions and help address the challenges faced by the OIC countries, particularly in the areas of science, technology, innovation and sustainable development.

The United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries aims to enhance the contribution of science, technology, and innovation for sustainable development in the world’s least developed countries. The Bank works to strengthen partnerships, facilitate access to technology, and build capacity to drive development goals.

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