By Jutta Wolf
BERLIN (IDN) – Germany and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have agreed to strengthen their partnership towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During high-level strategic talks in Berlin, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on November 26-27, Germany and UNIDO underlined the importance of each other as partners.
UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. It is fully committed to contributing to achieving the SDGs, while delivering on its mandate to support Member States in achieving inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID).
The SDGs constitute the core of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and guide all global, regional and national development endeavours until 2030. UNIDO takes the following actions to contribute to the SDGs. Due to the interlinked nature of the SDGs, many of UNIDO’s activities contribute to more than one SDG.
Germany and the UNIDO identified and discussed Aid for Trade investments and technology transfer, innovation and industry 4.0, climate change and environment, job and skills creation, and human security as potential areas for cooperation, said Kai Bethke, UNIDO Director of the Department of External Relations.
“Germany has been a solid supporter of UNIDO over the last decades. We pursue common objectives. By joining forces and taking our partnership to the next level we can accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), for which only 10 years remain,” said UNIDO Director General LI Yong said:
In a bilateral meeting, Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development, Gerd Mueller reconfirmed his commitment to UNIDO and the partnership. The parties reiterated that progress to achieve the SDGs should be accelerated by working more closely together.
On the margins on the strategic dialogue, Li and Norbert Barthle, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Development Ministry, signed two funding agreements aimed at boosting job creation and training in Senegal and Ethiopia, and strengthening investment promotion and technology transfer.
Through one agreement, UNIDO will contribute to the German “Special Initiative for Training and Job Creation”. Senegal and Ethiopia are both priority countries for the German Federal Government’s “Compact with Africa” and the UNIDO Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) countries.
Germany just recently organized a large investor’s conference around the Compact in Berlin. The UNIDO project, sponsored by BMZ to the tune of €8 million, is expected to create around 3,000 jobs and improve the working conditions of another 3,000 people.
“Strengthening the manufacturing sector locally; expanding sales and trading opportunities; creating skilled jobs – all this must belong together. We invest in Africa,” said Barthle.
In addition, UNIDO and Germany agreed to continue the fruitful cooperation in the framework of the Investment and Promotion Office (ITPO) Germany for a period of three more years. The ITPO is a contact point for companies from developing countries and Germany alike and opens opportunities for investment and technology transfer of suitable technologies in developing countries.
“We have seen many points of convergence. A number of initiatives, plans and programmes exist to jointly advance common priorities and ultimately to produce impact on the ground and induce transformative change,” concluded Li at the end of the talks. [IDN-InDepthNews – 01 December 2019]
Photo: Germany and UNIDO reinforce partnership through strategic talks. Credit: UNIDO.
IDN is flagship agency of the International Press Syndicate.
facebook.com/IDN.GoingDeeper – twitter.com/InDepthNews
