UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization

    Logo: United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

    The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (External link) (UNIDO) was founded in 1966. UNIDO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with 172 member states (as at August 2023).

    Its central mission is to assist developing countries in establishing a sustainable and environmentally friendly economic infrastructure, especially in processing industries.

    UNIDO is the only multilateral organisation whose key mandate is the achievement of SDG 9 of the United Nations: sustainable industrial development, innovation and infrastructure.


    Cooperation between the BMZ and UNIDO

    Cover: UNIDO – Germany Cooperation

    UNIDO – Germany Cooperation

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    The BMZ is the lead ministry for UNIDO within the German government. It not only pays Germany’s assessed contribution for UNIDO from its budget (about 7 million euros per year) but has also been working with UNIDO for many years on projects and programmes that are funded in part by voluntary contributions by the BMZ.

    For several years, the focus was on the production of essential medicines in accordance with binding quality standards in certain African countries such as Kenya and Ghana. A comprehensive Strategic Dialogue between the German government and UNIDO took place in Berlin for the first time in 2019, and was organised again in 2022.

    The following priority areas were agreed and laid down in a roadmap:

    • trade-related development cooperation, including quality standards for products from developing countries,
    • employment and technology transfer,
    • climate action efforts, including renewable energy and energy efficiency,
    • emergency aid programmes in crisis and post-crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Examples of the cooperation between UNIDO and the BMZ

    UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office (ITPO) in Bonn was established in 2017. Its mandate is to foster the exchange of information and help establish contacts to pave the way for projects with private sector involvement in developing countries. The idea is to bring on board investors and potential financiers that can meet the demand for investment in developing countries.

    The ITPO provides support for representatives of developing countries, organising their presence at trade fairs, visits to trade fairs and delegation visits to Germany. In this way, the ITPO connected 1,750 companies and institutions in the period from 2018 to 2022, with 318 businesses receiving advice directly from the ITPO. In 2023, an ITPO branch office was established in Berlin.

    In Ethiopia and Senegal, employment and vocational training are to be promoted in collaboration with UNIDO, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises near industrial parks.

    The aim is to build a stable training, employment and income environment for women and youth, in particular. Ethiopia and Senegal are key partner countries of UNIDO in Africa.

    The UNIDO Industrial Analytics Platform (IAP) is a global database that can be accessed free of charge. It provides quantitative and qualitative information about each country’s level of industrialisation and shortcomings in this field. This enables comparisons to be drawn, helping to achieve the SDGs of the United Nations.

    The platform provides an objective basis for scientific work and, particularly in developing countries, for developing a modern economic and industrial policy adapted to their needs.

    See also

    As at: 26/06/2023