VIENNA, 26 November 2021 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) held its Ninth Ministerial Conference of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) prior to the 19th Session of the General Conference. The event was co-organized for the first time together with the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), in addition to the long-standing partner, the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS).

Chaired by Chipoka Mulenga, Zambia's Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the Conference offered a global platform to LDC ministers and representatives of international organizations to discuss the priority areas of the next decade of action. Under the overarching theme “The Next Decade of Action: Accelerating ISID in LDCs”, the Conference largely focused on enablers for resilience, corridors and facilitators for the graduation of the LDCs, to build back better. Gender equality, the empowerment of women and youth, climate change and COVID-19 were cross-cutting themes addressed throughout the sessions.

The Conference explored innovative cooperation corridors to boost the industrial potential of LDCs and "turn current challenges into opportunities for accelerated action in LDCs over the next decade," said UNIDO Director General, LI Yong, "It is imperative for the next programme of action for the LDCs to envision achievable and impactful outcomes on structural socio-economic transformation."

The first session of the Conference featured keynote presentations given by UN-OHRLLS and OACPS, followed by a high-level ministerial interactive dialogue, aimed at unpacking the priorities of the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA). OACPS Secretary-General, Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, said, "The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted most if not all economic and social processes worldwide, with the informal economy, which is the backbone of many of our LDCs, being the hardest hit," in this respect, "the OACPS and UNIDO have been implementing joint actions with a view to strengthening competitive industries and the private sector in the OACPS."

In the second session, UNIDO Managing Director of the Directorate of Programmes, Partnerships, and Field Coordination, ZOU Ciyong, presented the steps leading from Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) to the expected Doha Programme of Action (DPoA), and contouring the formulation of UNIDO's operational strategy for LDCs in the next decade. The presentation was followed by a Davos-style dialogue between heads of UN entities, international organizations and private sector representatives, to discuss and reconsider the role of industry in driving inclusive and sustainable development in the next ten years. To conclude the second session, the high-level ministerial policy dialogue gave the opportunity to LDCs representatives to advance their views on ways to accelerate ISID and their expectations towards the DPoA.

A key outcome of the Conference, the Ministerial Declaration, calls upon UNIDO to reiterate its commitment to promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development, to leave no one behind. The position paper contained in the Declaration mainstreams the Doha priorities into UNIDO’s policy orientations and serves as a basis for the formulation of the next UNIDO Operational Strategy and Implementation Plan for the LDCs 2022-2031.

As a roadmap to the 5th United Nations Conference on the LDCs (UN LDC5), scheduled to take place in January 2022, the outcomes of the Ministerial Conference will feed into the discussions of the Doha Conference, and its contributions will feature in the Doha Programme of Action.

Referring to the objectives of the DPoA, UN-OHRLLS High Representative and Under-Secretary-General, Courtenay Rattray, said that business as usual is not an option. He argued in favour of a programmatic approach that serves the needs of LDCs. "A programme that delivers structural transformation and strengthens resilience on a platform of sustainable growth.  Concrete deliverables that will make an impact.  Not just on the page – but in the streets, in the farms and in the factories of the world’s most vulnerable countries."

Six side events took place on the side-lines of the Ministerial Conference, in line with the six expected Doha priorities, capturing the spirit of the next decade of action, and offering an opportunity to reflect on ways to make substantial contributions to key thematic areas of the Doha Programme.

For more information, please contact:

Manuel Mattiat, UNIDO Programme Officer, Regional Division Africa

m.mattiat@unido.org

VIENNA, 28 October 2021 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) intend to strengthen South-South and triangular cooperation for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in developing countries and in the framework of China’s new Global Development Initiative.

CIDCA is a government agency, directly under China’s State Council, established in 2018 to support both South-South cooperation and the attainment of the global goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a new Global Development Initiative at the 76th session UN General Assembly, calling upon the international community to prioritize people-centered, innovation-driven and action-oriented development to inject new impetus into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Speaking at the signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two entities, Li Yong, Director General of UNIDO, confirmed that “UNIDO will work with CIDCA to help developing countries meet their development challenges, and work with China and other Member States to deepen international development cooperation for inclusive and sustainable industrial development and the common prosperity of the world.”

Luo Zhaohui, Chairman of CIDCA, stated that “as the specialized agency of the UN for industrial development, UNIDO has made important contributions to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently put forward the Global Development Initiative, which charts the course for bilateral cooperation. We welcome the specific areas of cooperation identified by UNIDO and look forward to developing concrete projects together.”

Wang Qun, Permanent Representative of China to UNIDO, who witnessed the signing, congratulated the two sides on the signing of the MoU, saying that “it is a concrete manifestation of China's implementation of the spirit of the Global Development Initiative. The Permanent Mission will cooperate fully with UNIDO and CIDCA in the implementation of the MoU.”

For more information, please contact:

Ralf Bredel, Officer-in-Charge, UNIDO Regional Coordination Division - Asia and the Pacific

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VIENNA, 8 October 2021 – The Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), LI Yong, and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Germany to UNIDO, Götz Schmidt-Bremme, met today to expand their cooperation and sign two funding agreements amounting to €1.5m.

Through one agreement, Germany supports UNIDO’s thematic Trust Fund on Trade-Related Capacity-Building (TCB Trust Fund) to foster the ability of developing countries to effectively trade. Together with contributions from other donors, such as the European Union, this will help to advance trade capacities and quality infrastructure in Africa and beyond.

Through a second agreement, Germany is supporting UNIDO’s geographic Trust Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC Trust Fund) to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 9, advance economic competitiveness, and develop value chains in the region.

UNIDO’s Li Yong said, “Our partnership with Germany is ever more important and continues to expand. We highly appreciate Germany’s investment in UNIDO’s thematic and geographic trust funds. These precious resources will help to accelerate SDG9 implementation in the Latin America and the Caribbean region and increase trade capacity-building globally.”

Germany’s Ambassador, Schmidt-Bremme, stated, "Germany continues to invest in UNIDO as a strategic partner in the UN system to advance sustainable industrial development and trade capacities around the world. Moreover, Germany is glad to reinforce our cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Julia Villatoro, Ambassador of El Salvador to Austria, Permanent Representative to UNIDO, and Chair of UNIDO’s Group of Latin American and Caribbean countries (GRULAC), stressed that “the contribution of Germany is significant to support UNIDO’s current efforts in the region, particularly when LAC countries are recovering from the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic”.

All parties remain confident that the cooperation will further develop and intensify over the coming years and look forward to further strategic talks.

For more information, please contact:

Florian Iwinjak,

UNIDO Strategic Relations and Resource Mobilization Division
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VIENNA, 22 September 2021 – Experts from various sectors and backgrounds gathered at the annual LKDF Forum to address the importance of digital skills in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and their role in social inclusion. Under the theme, Digital Skills for an Inclusive Future, the LKDF Forum 2021 provided a platform to generate action-oriented debates for viable solutions to reduce the job-skill mismatch, bridge the digital skills gap, and promote dialogue for future partnerships.

“As we gather at this year’s LKDF Forum, I call for all of us to work together stronger to build a demand-responsive skilled workforce, reduce the global job-skills mismatch, and more imperatively, bridge the digital divide,” said LI Yong, the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) his opening remarks. “We must support each other in our global drive towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development … and the development of demand-oriented digital skills in the inclusive, gender-responsive and sustainable industry, ultimately contributing to a generation of equality.”

Also present at the official opening was Carin Jämtin, Director General of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), who said, “Life-long learning and skills development are key building blocks to productive development or productive employment. It is an important means for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction.”

Nine high-level dignitaries took the floor to share their expertise in digital skills training and its role in closing gaps and promoting inclusivity during the following opening ceremony. The Forum carried on with a theme talk by UNIDO’s Cecilia Ugaz Estrada, HP’s David Hollands and UpSkill Digital’s Gori Yahaya, who discussed challenges women and marginalized groups face when accessing digital skills and the practices aiming to address digital inclusion.

Six sessions led by experts from businesses, inter-governmental organizations and academia covered topics ranging from skill needs anticipation, inclusive business innovation, digitalization in inclusive education, workforce with diverse needs, to re- and up- skilling investments, and the motivation for life-long learning.

At the closing ceremony, Andrea De Remes, co-founder of Erandi Aprende, and Anurag Saha Roy, co-founder of Wikilimo, reiterated the importance of making digital skills learning available and accessible, and brought forward the question of how the international community should come into assistance.  Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Managing Director of UNIDO’s Directorate of Digitalisation, Technology and Agri-Business, addressed the interventions made by the two young leaders and called for the international community’s action to pursue an inclusive future for all and contribute to the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Youth are the future and they should be the ones saying what is needed. We need to […] involve young people in the decision making in order to develop the training and the upskilling that they need. A strong involvement of all stakeholders is key if we want to make education and skills accessible to all.”

For more information about the LKDF Forum 2021, please contact:

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Official recording of the LKDF Forum 2021 will be available in due course in the LKDF YouTube channel.

VIENNA, 8 September 2021 – LI Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Pirkko Hämäläinen, Ambassador of Finland to Austria and Permanent Representative to UNIDO, have signed an agreement to foster partnerships aiming to harness the potential of developing countries in the natural resources and circular economy sectors by enabling well-functioning, inclusive and sustainable value chains and business models.

The “UNIDO-Finland Partnerships for Developing the Natural Resources Sector and Circular Economy in Developing Countries” agreement has a duration of three years and a budget of €3.6m.

This agreement follows two other milestone agreements signed in 2014 and 2018 through which Finland provided a total of €6.75m for implementing activities in the areas of trade capacity-building, food security through agribusiness and agro-industry, as well as the creation of green employment through sustainable forest utilization and management.

Finland’s Ambassador Hämäläinen explained, “The cooperation with UNIDO shows that Finland is committed to supporting the economic development of developing countries in an environmentally sustainable and climate change-mitigating manner. The circular economy is a topical solution to this very challenge and Finland was the first country in the world to draw up its own circular economy action plan five years ago. Finland is also strengthening cooperation with UNIDO for better gender equality and the improved status of women.”

UNIDO’s Li added, "We greatly appreciate Finland's continuous support for UNIDO and for inclusive and sustainable industrial development and better gender equality in partner countries, and this agreement represents an important step in the further strengthening of the exemplary cooperation between Finland and UNIDO.”

The three projects funded under this agreement converge by working towards three key policy objectives of Finland’s development cooperation: strengthening the status and rights of women and girls; strengthening the economic base of developing countries and creating jobs; and climate change-mitigation and natural resources. The objectives are interconnected and capture lessons learned that will permit synergies and offer opportunities to strengthen the effectiveness of the planned interventions.

For further information, please contact:

Kai Bethke, Director, Department of External Relations 

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VIENNA, 3 September 2021 – UNIDO Director General LI Yong delivered a speech at the Ministerial Session of the Third Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee of Trade, Industry and Minerals, which was organized virtually by the African Union Commission’s Department of Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining.

“UNIDO is a key partner in the preparation of the many strategic documents that will be considered by the Committee before their submissions to the Heads of State and Government during the African Union (AU) Summit on Industrialization and Economic Diversification, which will take place in November 2021”, said Li. “UNIDO is proud to co-organize the Summit, and to foster inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Africa”.

The DG also highlighted an ongoing collaboration on Regional Value Chains-development, affirming that “under the leadership of the AUC, UNIDO and other partners have initiated a collaborative study on the mapping of regional value chains. We hope that the findings from this study will contribute to the development of a robust evidence-based pan-African regional value chain strategy“. The study will result in the formulation of an Action Plan for implementation of Regional Value Chain Upgrading programmes that take advantage of the opportunities offered by the AfCFTA. The study is expected to support the establishment of a new industrialization framework for the continent that would take into account Africa’s changing socio-economic and political landscape, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The Third Ordinary Session of the Specialized Technical Committee for Trade, Industry and Minerals focused on ‘Deepening economic integration through interconnected and competitive product value chains based on local commodities’ and deliberated on a number of policy documents, including the draft African Commodity Strategy and its Action Plan, the draft Africa Quality Policy the Africa Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) Business Plan; the African Minerals and Energy Resources Classification and Management System (AMREC); the draft African Fashion Industry Value Chain and Pan African Fashion Initiative Strategy; and the Study on Financing Industrialization. The Technical Working Group (TWG) of the AU Summit on industrialization and Economic Diversification also reported on the preparations and status of the November Summit. UNIDO updated on the progress made in the implementation of IDDA III.

The three-day meeting was attended by African Union Ministers and Senior Officials responsible for Trade, Industry and Minerals; Representatives of AU Regional Economic Communities (RECs), African Union institutions and other AUC Departments; and International Development and Technical Cooperation Partners including AfDB, EU, UNCTAD, UNDP, UNECA and UNIDO.

The Specialized Technical Committee for Trade, Industry and Minerals is a policy-making organ of the African Union Commission, which takes place prior to the Executive Council (Committee of Ministers of Foreign Affairs) and the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government in November 2021.

For more information, please contact:

Victor Djemba

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VIENNA, 13 July 2021— The Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) 2021, guided by the motto “Where action meets ambition,” convened to deliver action-oriented strategies that drive a green transformation, advance climate commitments and achieve the ambition of tackling climate change in an inclusive manner, leaving no one behind. Held virtually from 5 to 7 July, the VEF 2021 gathered over 300 key panellists, including government representatives, stakeholders and experts; and over 2,000 participants from 146 countries, including government ministers, senior officials from UN agencies and other international and regional organizations, and representatives from the private sector, civil society and academia.

The Vienna Energy Forum launched its 2021 edition with the first-ever “Youth for VEF,” hosted in partnership with the SDG7 Youth Constituency of the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth. Referring to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s (UNIDO) commitment to the inclusion of youth to drive sustainable energy and the industrial transformation, Fatou Haidara, UNIDO Managing Director, stated, “We must ensure that the decisions taken today on energy policies and energy infrastructure take into account the needs of our future generations. These policies must provide adequate possibilities for youth and ensure that no one is left behind.”

As a flagship platform organized “by youth, for youth,” the Youth for VEF provided a space for youth and entry-level professionals to advance their skills through open dialogues, learning experiences and networking opportunities. The Plenary Segment hosted one Youth-Policymaker Debate and two sessions exploring future-proof skills and enabling environments. Overall, the Youth for VEF was characterized by interactive sessions, from skills academy workshops, focusing on energy efficiency policies and women-centred financing, to virtual coffee meetings with energy experts and virtual tours to energy facilities.

LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO, heralded the message of the Vienna Energy Forum 2021 as the place where action meets ambition, saying, “We need to work together to ensure that energy innovation, governance and cooperation are aligned with our 2030 and 2050 targets and that we create transparent and competitive markets with the same level playing field for all.”

The VEF 2021 brought together senior government representatives and leading experts in four high-level thematic plenary sessions, four executive dialogues, 28 side events and 13 exhibition booths, partnering with a myriad of organizations.

The four high-level thematic plenaries during Day 1 focused on discussing key priorities and highlighting opportunities and potential solutions on global climate action.  The discussions addressed the pathways that stimulate demand whilst promoting an inclusive economic recovery:

• “Accelerating Action”: designed to build momentum to support the outcomes of major approaching energy events: the High-Level Dialogue on Energy, the G20 Leaders’ Summit and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) 26th Conference of Parties (COP 26). In this respect, Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, indicated that to ensure progress at COP 26, it is important to align all public and private finance flows with the Paris Agreement climate goals, encourage inclusive multilateralism, bridge the gap between negotiations and implementation, and ensure no one gets left behind.
• “Food System Transformation”: exploring the way forward to integrate renewable energy solutions into food systems and highlighting the potential for multiple wins at all stages of the value chain.
• “Industry Integration”: focusing on the role of energy-intensive industries in achieving a carbon-neutral economy that increases energy security and creates sustainable jobs for everyone; and the role of digitalization in transforming markets, spurring innovation and accelerating the integration of safe, sustainable energy in industrial value chains.
• “Energy Efficient Products”: discussing the enabling factors to spur product innovation and market development, and reduce entry barriers for entrepreneurs and end-users.

The four executive dialogues during Day 2 of the VEF 2021 were centred on a forward-looking perspective on our energy systems, highlighting the need to transform existing models to enable the transition to renewable electricity systems:

• “Re-imagining our Energy Systems”: focusing on the structural shifts in the energy systems that would enable a substantial increase in global renewable energies through the access to capital, finance, and sustainable infrastructure—such as energy grids. 
• “Consumers at the forefront”: exploring the policy and regulatory frameworks required to enable consumers to contribute to flexible and green energy systems, and delving into the opportunities for Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) providers to align their services to end-user dimensions.
• “Future Mobility”: discussing the challenges and opportunities in electrifying vehicle fleets, particularly public transport in developing countries, and exploring the importance of fast-charging infrastructure in imbuing both investor and end-user confidence in electric mobility. In this respect, Maruxa Cardama, Secretary-General, Partnership on Sustainable, Low-Carbon Transport, stressed that road vehicles represent almost three quarters of emissions for the transport sector, noting, therefore, that electric mobility solutions powered by renewable energy will be essential to meet the Paris Agreement targets.
• “The Climate Imperative Spotlight on Small Island Developing States”: exploring the opportunities presented by the roll-out of blue sustainable energy and climate technologies to help SIDS diversify their economies, create new income streams, reduce fuel import dependencies, and support local COVID-19 recovery.

The Vienna Energy Forum 2021 closed with calls for increased action and commitments towards driving development through the deployment of sustainable energy.

Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, called for close cooperation: “We need to grow the global coalition for net-zero emissions by mid-century. Every country, city, company and financial institution sector must come on board.”

Detailed Summary Reports are available here.

For more information, please contact us.

BEIJING, 8 July 2021 – LI Yong, the Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) expressed his appreciation for the support of the Government of China on the 5th Anniversary of the establishment of the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF).

“The SSCAF greatly contributes to achieving the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development”, said Li. “It is an effective modality for South-South cooperation to support Member States in their recovery from the COVID crisis”.

Currently, the SSCAF is funding the “Capacity building to upgrade the livestock value chain in Ethiopia” project within the framework of the Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) for Ethiopia, which features a triangular cooperation between UNIDO, Ethiopia and China to improve the competitiveness of Ethiopia’s meat value chain by sharing knowledge and skills among key southern stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia and the General Administration of Customs of China.

As part of UNIDO’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the SSCAF also funds the “Emergency response assistance to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the Islamic Republic of Iran” project, which is based on the good practices derived from the UNIDO project to support China in responding to and preventing the spread of COVID-19. The emergency project will provide essential equipment needed by medical health practitioners and the necessary training to medical waste treatment operators. The project highlights how critical it is to bring global expertise to scale, in particular for southern countries to learn from each other’s green recovery efforts and build back better.

“UNIDO and the Government of China have a long history of cooperation in promoting South-South cooperation”, said Director General LI Yong. “Moving forward, UNIDO will continue to work closely with China and the SSCAF to achieve inclusive and sustainable industrial development and to support our Member States in achieving the SDG 9 goals, and the 2030 Agenda”.

The celebration was organized by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the China International Development Cooperation Agency; it was attended by numerous representatives from embassies and international organizations in China.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Jie Zhao

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Vienna, 7 July 2021 – Titled “Partnering for inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID): New challenges and opportunities for the UNIDO-Japan cooperation”, the UNIDO-Japan cooperation week – an online event co-organized by the Permanent Mission of Japan to the International Organizations in Vienna and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) from 29 June to 7 July 2021 – elaborated on how the UNIDO-Japan cooperation can help developing and emerging countries further advance inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID) and build back better after COVID.

“Sustaining and promoting ISID during and after COVID-19 is the biggest challenge for UNIDO and its Member States”, said H.E. Ambassador Takeshi Hikihara. “Japan wishes to contribute to this endeavour as one of the major donor countries to UNIDO’s technical cooperation”.

The event opened with a first webinar on “Accelerating Circular Economy and Carbon Neutrality for ISID and a Green Recovery”, which harnessed specialized energy and environment knowledge and expertise to elaborate on ways in which UNIDO and Japan could support partner countries in adopting, and subsequently capitalizing on circular economy principles. A second webinar on “Joining forces for industrial skills development” followed, which recognized the importance of advancing and upgrading industrial skills in response to the ever-changing industrial landscape in developing countries and economies in transition.

“When it comes to industrial or economic development, UNIDO has the expertise to set strategies and promote projects with a long-term view”, said Ms. Kako Kurasawa, Vice President, Sustainability Promotion Division, and General Manager, Komatsu Ltd. “For example, to develop a community support programme, UNIDO will conduct a needs assessment and will engage with local stakeholders to bring impact into communities”.

A third webinar on “Investment and Technology Transfer under COVID-19” highlighted the many synergies between Japan’s private sector and private and public entities in beneficiary countries by showcasing specific projects, such as clean water manufacturing in Uzbekistan or the provision of medical waste incinerators in Madagascar and Senegal.

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and of institutions such as UNIDO”, said Ms. Mineko Ohta, Director of the Technical Cooperation Division, Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan. “We very much appreciate our close interactions with UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) in Tokyo, which has been crucial for the promotion of foreign direct investment and technology transfer from Japan”.

More than 600 persons in total took part in the virtual events, which emphasized the importance of multilateral cooperation as exemplified by UNIDO’s outstanding partnership with the Government of Japan.

“ISID needs to be driven by partnerships in development cooperation”, said UNIDO Director General LI Yong. “By applying the UNIDO partnership approach to Japanese-funded projects, we bring different stakeholders together to jointly improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and address climate change”.

The UNIDO-Japan cooperation week was complemented by a social media promotional campaign that highlighted key cooperation areas including human security, investment and technology transfer, COVID-19 response, TICAD and IDDAIII processes, industrial skills development, strengthening of value chains, as well as climate action and marine plastics.

For more information, please contact:

Monika Eichberger

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