South-South and triangular collaboration programme on science, technology, and innovation among Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam

Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam (CLTV) announced a south-south collaboration that hinges on the deployment of science, technology, and innovation (STI) immensely to benefit the economy, society, and the environment. Through this initiative, CLTV will develop a mutually beneficial partnership to tackle common challenges and opportunities for building scientific know-how, technological capabilities, and innovation breakthroughs among the four countries. This initiative will further identify specific areas, resources, and institutional commitments to support strategic cooperation between the collaborating countries on STI. While the Asia-Pacific region has many examples of the application of STI for inclusive and sustainable development, these countries still have an opportunity to leapfrog into more advanced technological paradigms together and to enable environments for innovation. ‘To achieve the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals, countries need to leverage STI. By facilitating south-south and triangular collaboration in this area, we hope to boost national innovation capabilities, tackle high-priority societal challenges and nurture shared prosperity,’ said UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN) Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.