Inclusive and sustainable industrial development

23 - 24 June 2014. UNIDO Vienna International Centre. To support UNIDO’s role as a facilitator of knowledge and advice on policies and strategies towards achieving inclusive and sustainable industrial development, a first forum was held by UNIDO to initiate a strategic dialogue drawing on international expertise and regional knowledge with UNIDO Member States, development agencies, and other developed and developing countries on ways to operationalize inclusive and sustainable industrial development strategies and policies.

Over 300 participants, including ministers and government officials, representatives of UNIDO Member States and experts in the field, attended the First UNIDO Forum on strategies and instruments for achieving inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Speakers offered concrete examples of rapid industrialization as well as lessons, both positive and negative. They said that both hard and soft business infrastructure play important roles, and agreed that both developing and implementing strategies and instruments for inclusive and sustainable industrial development share equal importance.

 The second forum in October 2014 will focus on mobilizing relevant

stakeholders in order to develop a portfolio of concrete partnership opportunities on establishing soft and hard infrastructure, such as industrial parks, in several countries where UNIDO has already been implementing activities and accumulating relevant knowledge.

For more information on the Agenda of the first forum, please go here

Information on the five sessions of the first forum is also available: Session 1, Session 2, Session 3, Session 4,Session 5

Extract: Session 4

Case studies in business infrastructure development: What can we learn from successful cases in Africa, Asia, Europe and Central Asia and Latin America? 

Panelists: 

• Ahmed Abtew, Minister of Industry, Ethiopia 
• Olusegun Olutoyin Aganga, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria 
• Hadja Fatoumata Binta Diallo, Minister of Industry, SMEs and Promotion of Private Sector, Guinea 
• Leonard Mizzi, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG Agriculture and Rural Development 
• Shubhra Singh, Joint Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India 

Background:

The specialized network of UNIDO ITPOs opens up opportunities for investors and technology suppliers to find potential partners and offers unique services to both entrepreneurs and business institutions.  Through the AfrIPAnet operations and the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Programme for Africa, the ITPOs enjoy strong partnerships with numerous national Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) in African countries.

Currently there are 15 member countries of the AfrIPAnet network (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania) but this is to be extended to 31 countries in the current biennium.