VIENNA - A kick-off event at the Vienna International Centre has marked the start of five new projects implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, the State of Palestine and Ukraine. With funding of US$3 million from the Japanese supplementary budget, these projects seek to respond to partner countries’ urgent needs for support on their path to inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Since UNIDO’s inception, Japan has been a vital supporter. Over the recent period 2017 to 2022, Japan was the largest governmental funding partner of UNIDO, with voluntary contributions of US$86.8 million.

At the kick-off event, Ambassador Takeshi Hikihara, Permanent Representative of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna, Gerd Müller, Director General of UNIDO, and representatives from partner countries, reaffirmed their commitment to tripartite cooperation to generate the maximum impact for communities most in need.

In his remarks, Ambassador Hikihara commended UNIDO's many tangible results in partner countries. He said “I thank all project managers, officers and consultants for their dedicated work, expertise and ingenuity. I strongly trust in the successful implementation of these projects. We appreciate UNIDO's ability to facilitate a dynamic process of transfer of technologies and know-how between the partner countries, us as a donor, and our respective private sectors”.

UNIDO’s Director General remarked, “We are all experiencing a number of connected crises: wars, climate change impacts, inflation and rising inequality, recovering from the COVID pandemic. And as always, such crises hit the poorest of the poor the hardest. To deal with them, we need above all international solidarity, and to get back to track on reaching the Sustainable Development Goals,” adding “I sincerely thank Japan for our long, close partnership and firm commitment to support partner countries through UNIDO’s expertise.”

In Iraq, UNIDO will apply its expertise in food processing industries through a project to address the lack of livelihoods, employment and food insecurity in two Governorates.

Lack of access to clean drinking water will be tackled by a project in Somalia, focusing on installing a solar-powered reverse osmosis water desalinization and purification plant to supply potable water for households and for productive uses.

In South Sudan, a project will improve the living conditions of internally-displaced persons and their host communities through supporting their livelihoods, in particular addressing food security by providing quick-impact training in entrepreneurship development, processing food items and food safety.

To promote resilient sustainable economic infrastructure, the project in the State of Palestine will boost competitiveness and linkages between sectors and the market through the Palestinian Business Prosperity Center (PalPro). In doing so, the project will foster innovation for progress, contributing to inclusive, decarbonized and sustainable industrialization.

Finally, the project in Ukraine introduces innovative technologies, with a people-centred approach, to address the challenges faced by people with disabilities, particularly amputees. Its primary goal is to facilitate the economic reintegration of the affected individuals.