VIENNA, 19 May 2020 - Amidst escalating global uncertainty and the spectre of socio-economic upheaval brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Japan is providing nearly US$4m to help the transfer of Japanese technology to developing countries, with a view to strengthening their capacity to cope with the crisis.

The funding for this new project will enable the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to cooperate with Japanese companies to demonstrate and transfer their technologies related to the provision of equipment and solutions to improve health, sanitary and hygiene environments.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already disrupted the lives of millions of people worldwide, with a disproportionate impact on the poor, thereby jeopardizing the successful achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Government of Japan's funding for this project is part of the international community’s solidarity with developing countries with fragile health systems. 

UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Tokyo (ITPO Tokyo) will play an important role in the implementation of the project.  

UNIDO’s ITPO network, with offices in Bahrain, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation, has been facilitating investment and technology agreements between developed and developing countries since 1976. This project will make maximum use of ITPO Tokyo's Sustainable Technology Promotion Platform(STePP), which is designed to raise awareness of Japanese technologies that have the potential to stimulate sustainable industrialization in developing countries. 

For further information, contact:

Monika Eichberger

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