This high-level side event will be co-hosted by the Governments of Brazil and France, represented at ministerial level, with the support of the UN Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs to mark the launching of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM). It will bring together multi-stakeholders including Member States, the UN system, civil society, private sector and academia. It will provide an opportunity for high-level representatives to express their expectations in relation to the TFM and how their countries or organizations are prepared to support its operation, particularly the collaborative Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the SDGs and the online platform. The side event will also provide an opportunity to showcase the readiness and commitment of the UN system to support the TFM.

AGENDA

15:00 – 15:10 Welcome and opening statement

H.E. Mr. Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations

15:10 – 15:40 Keynotes by ministers of France, Brazil and India
H.E. Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France
H.E. Mauro Vieira, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Brazil
Her Excellency Ms. Sujata Mehta, Secretary for Multilateral and Economic Relations, Ministry of External Affairs, India

15:40 – 16:20 Panel discussion on expectations for the TFM, moderated by Mr. Elliott Harris, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the New York Office of UNEP
· Ms. Megan Smith, US Chief Technology Officer, Office of Science and Technology Policy, and former Vice-President of Google, USA
· Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) head-quartered in South Africa

· Mr. Paulo Ernani Gadelha Vieira, President, Fiocruz, Brazil

· Dr. Zakri Abdul Hamid, Member of the UN SG’s Scientific Advisory Board, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, Malaysia

· Mrs. Adeline Lescanne, CEO of Nutriset, France


16:20 - 16:55 Interactive discussion between the panellists and the audience

16:55 – 17:00 Closing remarks

H.E. Mogens Lykketoft, President of the UN General Assembly