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esilient and sustainable; this goal includes references totransport infrastructure).In the future, it would also be important that publicationsalso take a more integrated approach and make morelinkages across the proposed SDGs and their priority areas.Given the broader scope of the VPoA, it can be expectedthat publications focusing on LLDCs in coming years willfocus more on new elements of the VPoA such as regionalintegration and structural economic transformation, as wellas the overall linkages among LLDC-specific challenges. Itwould thus be interesting for future editions of the GSDR tocontinue looking at the possible new trends in publicationsrelevant to LLDCs.Figure 6-6. Coverage of SDG areas by a sample of publicationsSource: Author’s elaborationNote: Coverage of SDG areas by a sample of 22 publications on LLDCs6.3.4. Science, technology and innovation in LLDCsThe importance of science, technology and information forall countries including LLDCs has received increasedattention in UN processes, and this is reflected in both theprocesses that led to the new development agendas and intheir content.In terms of process, both the SDG process and VPoA wereinformed by science. The SDG process relied heavily forscientific and technical input on the UN technical supportteam (TST) 514 , which gathered about forty different entitiesacross the United Nations system as well as a number ofeminent scientists both from the north and the south515.The VPoA always mentions the source of evidence used,which comes from studies done by the Office of the HighRepresentative for the Least Developed Countries,Landlocked Developing Countries and Small IslandDeveloping States of the United Nations, the StatisticDivision of the UN Department of Economic and SocialAffairs, the World Bank, UN Conference on Trade andDevelopment and UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook.need “to develop a structural transformation strategyaimed at improving science, technology and innovation(…)” 517 .When looking at a sample of publications related to LLDCsat the international level, it becomes clear that scientificinputs have focused on the priority areas highlighted inVPoA. Most of the articles and papers analysed focus ontrade, transport, energy, means of implementation andpartnerships.The authors of this report could not find sufficient evidenceof how science might have influenced policies regardingLLDCs at the international level and more research needs tobe done in this area.Improvements in technology and infrastructure based onscientific studies and experiments could assist governmentsin the implementation of policies benefiting LLDCs (see theexample of ASYCUDA in Box 6-6.In terms of content, the VPoA underlines that “Science,technology and innovation play a critical role in achievingstructural economic transformation, productive capacitydevelopment and value addition (…)” 516 . Among the actionsthat LLDCs need to undertake, the VPoA stresses that LLDCs114