For information only - not an official document
UNIS/OUS/319
30 November 2015
Re-issued as received
VIENNA, 30 November (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) - A new report on the cooperation between the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the European Union (EU) from 2005 to 2015 was launched today in Vienna.
LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO, and Klaus Rudischhauser, Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission, took part in the event, organized during the 16th session of UNIDO's General Conference.
The report states that for the period 2009-2015, the EU has been among UNIDO's top donors of voluntary contributions. Together with EU member states they represent the largest donor of UNIDO. Currently, the EU-UNIDO partnership supports sustainable development and shared prosperity in more than 100 countries, while the thematic diversification and the geographical scope continue to increase.
Together, the EU and UNIDO support the development of the private sector focusing on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), build their capacity to add value to their products, create decent jobs and to move towards quality production. At the same time, the partnership supports beneficiary countries' transition towards a green industry and a circular economy through knowledge and technology transfer in resource and energy efficiency, cleaner production, renewable energy, and climate action.
Speaking at the event, Klaus Rudischhauser praised the excellent cooperation with UNIDO and said that "the new 2030 Agenda creates an excellent framework to further develop our cooperation for inclusive and sustainable industrial development".
LI Yong added: "UNIDO looks forward to continuing this fruitful cooperation with the EU and to working together towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda. We believe that together we can help create jobs opportunities, limit migrations and move towards a more circular economy. The new SDG framework will very much support our cooperation on inclusive and sustainable industrial development".
In his foreword to the report, Frans Timmermans, first Vice-President of the EU Commission and responsible for sustainable development, writes: "The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is about rethinking the way we live and work. Inclusive and sustainable industrial development will help build circular economies that bring prosperity and sustainability for all."
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The full report is available here
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For further questions, please contact:
Christophe Yvetot
Head of UNIDO Brussels Office to the EU
c.yvetot[at]unido.org
