玩偶姐姐

By Asli Hekimoglu, Associate Programme Officer, UN Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries

It was a meaningful moment to share the work of the United Nations Technology Bank at the 2025 World Eco-Design Conference in Bangkok鈥攁n event co-hosted with our partner, the World Eco-Design Organization (WEDO). The gathering, titled Empowering LDCs, Advancing the SDGs, brought together innovators, policymakers, and representatives from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and also from Thailand and T眉rkiye鈥攁ll committed to shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.

As Programme Officer at the UN Technology Bank, I was proud to introduce our Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs)鈥攁 practical tool we use to help LDCs identify and prioritize their critical technology gaps. These TNAs are not just reports; they are living documents that inform action and investment where it is needed most.

What made this event particularly powerful was the synergy that followed. While we presented our approach to identifying needs on the ground, WEDO members showcased real-world solutions鈥攎any grounded in eco-industrial design鈥攖hat could directly address those needs. These ranged from sustainable manufacturing techniques to climate-smart technologies and innovative design for health and education systems.

During the conference, several impactful technologies were showcased by WEDO and its partners, including:

• Biopharmaceutical innovations, designed to localize production and reduce dependency on imports, while also supporting R&D and regulatory capacity in LDCs;
• Service robotics applications in areas like rehabilitation, elderly care, and renewable energy maintenance, offering leapfrogging opportunities for LDCs in key service sectors;
• Smart agriculture drone technologies, developed to increase farming precision, improve productivity, and reduce labor and resource intensity鈥攑articularly useful for remote or climate-affected regions;
• Saline-alkaline land management solutions, offering new potential for agricultural revitalization in regions struggling with soil degradation, a challenge that directly affects food security in many LDCs.
• The International Design Education (IDE) initiative, in which the UN Technology Bank is an active partner and which has already awarded full scholarships to students from over 30 least developed countries (LDCs), is evolving into a global innovation ecosystem focused on inclusive capacity building.

These solutions demonstrate how frontier technologies, when made accessible and thoughtfully applied, can become powerful tools for sustainable development. For further details on the technologies presented, I invite you to visit .

Around the room, I saw development partners鈥攄onor countries, private sector representatives, and LDC delegates鈥攍eaning in with interest, asking questions, and exploring possibilities. For me, it was a vivid reminder of what鈥檚 possible when we break silos and come together with a shared purpose.

What we witnessed in Bangkok was not just a successful event鈥攊t was a model of tri-partner collaboration. A UN entity, a civil society organization, and development actors鈥攅ach bringing their strengths to the table, working towards solutions that are practical, inclusive, and scalable. This kind of cooperation has real potential to transform how we tackle challenges in LDCs, the most vulnerable group of countries in the world.

It鈥檚 also a compelling example of how industrial design鈥攐ften overlooked in development contexts鈥攃an offer remedies to critical needs in health, climate resilience, agriculture, and education. When we align technical know-how with local priorities and global support, we unlock development pathways that are resilient, rooted, and ready to grow.

I came away from Bangkok both inspired and reassured鈥�this is how we build a future that includes everyone. This spirit of collaboration and practical innovation speaks directly to the ambitions of the Pact for the Future: to deliver bold, forward-looking solutions to today鈥檚 needs, in a way that leaves no one behind, through re-creation of  international mechanisms that better reflect and serve to the realities of the 21st century and can respond to today's and tomorrow's challenges and opportunities.

Let鈥檚 keep connecting the dots鈥攂ecause the future we want is the one we build together.