UNCTAD-Least Developed Country Report

The UNCTAD has recently released the Least Developed Countries Report, 2007, subtitled ''Knowledge, technical learning and innovation for development''. UNCTAD,in past LDC Reports, has taken the view that the key to sustained economic growth andpoverty reduction in LDCs is the development of productive capacities and relatedcreation of productive employment. The Least Developed Countries Report 2007 corroborates this view by focusing on knowledge accumulation, technologica l learning and the ability to innovate as vital processes toward genuine productive capacity development in these countries. The Report shows that the current pattern of technology flows to LDCs through international trade, foreign direct investment and intellectual property licensing does not contribute to narrowing the knowledge divide. Sustained economic growth and poverty reduction are not likely to take place in countries where viable economic re-specialization would remain impossible in the absence of significant progress in technological learning and innovation capacity-building. The Report suggests that national governments and development partners could meet this challenge, notably through greater attention to the following four key policy issues.

http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ldc2007_en.pdf