Several agencies supported countries developing STI policy frameworks, including UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNECE, UNESCAP and the World Bank (IATT-STI, 2017[3]). The declaration made at the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Istanbul in 2011 welcomed the establishment of a technology bank dedicated to LDCs. The Istanbul Programme of Action for The Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020 included the establishment of a “Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Information supporting mechanism, dedicated to least developed countries which would help improve least developed countries ’ scientific research and innovation base, promote networking among researchers and research institutions, help least developed countries access and utilise critical technologies, and draw together bilateral initiatives and support by multilateral institutions and the private sector, building on the existing international initiatives. ” The AAAA and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reaffirmed the importance of this mechanism and requested, through SDG target 17.8, for it to be “fully operationalised by 2017”.