An assessment of the international technology transfer systems and the new Law of the Sea

This paper reviews some of the major issues in the international transfer of technology and the role of international organizations such as the United Nations in the transfer of technology. In 1975, the UN General Assembly endorsed the New International Economic Order (NIEO) which contained many resolutions including improvement of the terms of technology transfer in favor of developing nations. The mandatory provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 Convention) became a turning point in the evolution of the role of the international organizations to control the transfer of technology. Although the significance of technology in economic development of the developing countries has been recognized, provisions of the 1982 Convention on technology transfer came under serious scrutiny in the 1980s. In 1994, the discontent with the 1982 Convention among the industrialized countries and the growing popularity of market ideology among the developing countries led to an amendment to the Convention which adopts a market approach for the dissemination of technology and stresses the importance of environmentally sound technology.