A UNITED NATIONS General Assembly Distr. GENERAL A/RES/52/184 4 February 1998 Fifty-second session Agenda item 95 (c) RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY [on the report of the Second Committee (A/52/626/Add.3)] 52/184. Science and technology for development The General Assembly, Reaffirming the continuing validity of the Vienna Programme of Action on Science and Technology for Development,1 adopted in 1979, its resolution 50/101 of 20 December 1995 and all other relevant United Nations resolutions and decisions, as well as the outcomes of United Nations major conferences concerning science and technology for development, Taking note of the Meeting of Experts on Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned Countries held at Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in March 1997, in the field of biological diversity, Recognizing the importance for developing countries of having access to science and technology so as to enhance their productivity and competitiveness in the world market, and stressing the need to promote, facilitate and finance, as appropriate, access to and transfer of environmentally sound technologies and the corresponding know-how, in particular to the developing countries, on favourable terms, including concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account the need to protect intellectual property rights as well as the special needs of developing countries, Stressing, given the fact that much of the most advanced environmentally sound technology is developed and held by the private sector, that the creation of an enabling environment on the part of both developed and developing countries, including supportive economic and fiscal measures as well as a practical system of environmental regulations and compliance mechanisms, can help to stimulate private-sector investment in and transfer of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries, as affirmed by the General Assembly in paragraph 90 of the annex to its resolution S/19-2 of 28 June 1997, 1 Report of the United Nations Conference on Science and Technology for Development, Vienna, 20-31 August 1979 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.79.I.21 and corrigenda), chap. VII. 98-76561 /...