Science, Technology
Most Valuable Tool To Combat Poverty
Special Adviser to the Prime Minister
on Science and Technology, Dr. Arnoldo
Ventura has said that Science and
Technology was the most powerful of the
tools needed to put individuals in a
position to provide the means of helping
themselves to live a decent quality of
life.
He explained that eradicating poverty
meant more than simply rescuing many
from pain and squalor and that another
way to focus science on the greatest
problem of this era, had to be found.
"Science must be seen as a public
good of survival value. The
participation and ultimate benefit of
the poor in this endeavour, must be
considered a fundamental human right,"
he said.
Dr. Ventura was speaking recently at
a poverty eradication consultation,
which was part of activities organized
by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) in Paris, France, to mark
International Day for the Eradication of
Poverty.
He argued that science and technology
was vitally important to socio-economic
development. "But is this in itself
enough to tackle poverty?" he asked,
noting that socio-economic development
in rich countries, such as the United
States, had shown that science and
technology by itself, along with
economic growth, was not enough.
Dr. Ventura pointed out that
neo-classical trading patterns and the
forces of globalisation and competition
as well as the industrial property
system, have all tended to contribute,
rather than to solving poverty.
"Poverty reduction strategies must
move beyond these to empower the poor
with self-propelling knowledge. The
experience of countries that have
escaped poverty over the recent past,
has shown that they all have invested
directly in the poor themselves, as they
improve their education, information,
living conditions, productivity and
their markets," he explained.
Dr. Ventura further submitted that
families and communities had to be
targeted to confront the root causes of
poverty at the individual and family
levels in different cultural and
environmental settings, so that at the
end, poverty would be reduced.
"For the poor to participate in their
own redemption, they must have a say in
the management of their country's
resources. Participatory democracy then
becomes an important factor. The poor's
human rights must be protected," he
added
Courtesy: Jamaica Information Service
