The Rio+20 Outcome Document The Future We Want (Resolution 66/288, July 2012) highlighted the central role of technological cooperation for the achievement of sustainable development and requested relevant United Nations agencies to identify options for "a facilitation mechanism that promotes the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies by, inter alia, assessing the technology needs of developing countries, options to address those needs and capacity-building".

In its resolution 68/210 of December 2013, the General Assembly decided to hold a series of four one-day structured dialogues, "supported by the United Nations system and enabling the involvement of relevant stakeholders, including international and regional organizations, multilateral and regional financial and development institutions, universities and research institutions, the private sector and civil society, to consider possible arrangements for a facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies by identifying and addressing, where appropriate, fragmentation, synergies, areas of duplication and opportunities for cooperation between existing mechanisms and processes, thus improving overall coherence and enhancing inter-linkages, identifying and addressing gaps throughout the full technology life cycle, from research to development, demonstration, market formation, transfer and diffusion, fostering innovation, and promoting an enabling environment at all levels, while respecting the mandates of existing institutions, frameworks and processes".

The Assembly also decided that the dialogues will "result in a summary of the discussions and recommendations emerging there from, including on the possible modalities and organization of such a mechanism, to be submitted by the President of the General Assembly to the Assembly at its sixty-eighth session and for consideration and appropriate action by the Assembly at its sixty-ninth session, with the aim of reaching a conclusion in this regard".

The dialogues will build on four interactive Workshops on technology facilitation held by the General Assembly during its 67th session . The Secretary-General produced a report (A/68/310), based on the discussions at the workshops and other inputs and building on his earlier report on the subject (A/67/348).

As stipulated in the Outcome Document of the General Assembly Special Event of 25 September 2013, the outcome of these structured Dialogues is intended to inform the General Assembly on options for a technology facilitation mechanism in the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda.

This Note lays out a proposed structure for the Dialogues mandated by resolution 68/210 of December 2013 around the overall theme of “possible arrangements for a facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies”.