Preface by Jorge Braga de Macedo and Tadao Chino -- Introduction by David O'Connor and Yun-Hwan Kim -- Part One. Technology's Contribution to Poverty Reduction? -- Technology and Poverty: Mapping the Connections by Maurizio Bussolo and David O'Connor -- Intellectual Property Rights in Global Agriculture and their Impact on the Diffusion of Productivity Gains by Timo Goeschl and Timothy Swanson -- Poverty, Food Security, and Agricultural Biotechnology: Challenges and Opportunities by Nihal Amerasinghe -- Information and Communication Technology in Developing Countries of Asia by Brahm Prakash -- Financing Information Technology Diffusion in Low-Income Asian Developing Coutries by Yun-Hwan Kim -- Part Two. Policies to Make Technology Work for the Poor -- Inaugural Address by Francois Huwart -- Keynote Speech by Myong-Ho Shin -- Technology and Development Policy in Poverty Reduction: The Case of Thailand by Suwit Khunkitti -- Technology and Growth: Ireland's Recent Experience by Desmond O'Malley -- Intellectual Property Protection: What Role in the 20th Century History of Innovation? by John Kay -- Technology Policies and Investment Strategies by Yoginder K. Alagh -- Enabling People to Make Technologies Work for Them by Lahiru Perera -- Poverty Alleviation in the People's Republic of China's Rural Areas: Problems, Strategy, Policy, and the Role of Science and Technology by Liu Yanhua -- Technology, Investment, and Development: Some Reflections from Portugal by Jose Braz -- Infromation Technology and Development Cooperation: A View fromt he Dot Force by Gilles Bregant -- Programme -- List of Authors and Participants

Poverty reduction remains a major development challenge in much of Asia and the Pacific. Historically, technology has played a central role in raising living standards across the region, including those of the poor. The Green Revolution and various innovations of modern medicine and public health have been instrumental in improving nutrition, health, and livelihoods of millions of poor people. Yet, the pace of improvement from these sources appears to have slowed, and new technological impetus — as well as improved policies and institutions — are needed to address the persistent poverty problem in some regions and among some social groups. Agricultural and medical biotechnology hold tremendous promise but also bring with them new risks and concerns that need to be addressed before their full potential can be realised. New information technologies are only beginning to diffuse widely in developing Asia and the Pacific, but ultimately these too can have profound impacts on the lives of the poor, empowering them with access to information that once was the preserve of the privileged few.