The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), based in Vienna, is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for Poverty reduction, inclusive globalization, environmental sustainability. UNIDO’s mandate is to promote and accelerate Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) in developing countries and economies in transition to improve living conditions in the world’s poorest countries.
The relevance of ISID as an integrated approach to all three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - is recognized by the recently adopted 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will frame United Nations and country efforts towards sustainable development in the next years. UNIDO’s mandate is fully recognized in SDG-9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”. The relevance of ISID, however, applies in greater or lesser extent to all SDGs.
Accordingly, the Organization’s programmatic focus is structured in four strategic priorities:
Each of these programmatic fields of activity contains a number of individual programmes, which are implemented in a holistic manner to achieve effective outcomes and impacts through UNIDO’s four enabling functions: (i) technical cooperation; (ii) analytical and research functions and policy advisory services; (iii) normative functions and standards and quality-related activities; and (iv) convening and partnerships for knowledge transfer, networking and industrial cooperation.
With 47 offices across Developing Countries and in collaboration with its 168 member countries, UNIDO pursues its aim through the mobilization of human, intellectual and technological resources, by which it fosters productive employment and economic development.
In carrying out the core requirements of its mission, UNIDO has considerably increased its technical services over the past ten years. At the same time, it has also substantially increased its mobilization of financial resources, testifying to the growing international recognition of the Organization as an effective provider of catalytic industrial development services.
On 30th November 2021, within the framework of UNIDO 19th General Conference, Mr. Gerd Müller was elected as the new Director General of UNIDO.
Vienna International Centre
Wagramerstr 5
P.O. Box 300 A-1400 Vienna Austria
Tel: +43 (1) 26026-0
Fax: +43 (1) 2692669
www.unido.org
Within the UN system, there is a unique network made up of technical field offices, strategically situated in industrialized and emerging economies counting on state-of-the-art technologies.
A UNIDO global network, which promotes responsible foreign and domestic investments and sustainable technology through public and private sector partnerships for inclusive growth and wealth creation in Developing Countries and economies in transition.
The network comprises offices (Investment and Technology Promotion Offices – ITPOs) in Bahrain, China (Shanghai, Beijing), South Korea, Japan, Russia, Nigeria, Germany and Italy. The mission is to facilitate investment flows and technology transfers from host to recipient countries by providing high quality, tailor-made and demand-driven services to public and private sectors. The mission is accomplished through partnerships and networks, capacity building activities, advisory services, promotional events, investment and technology projects assessment, and matchmaking activities.
