During the Summit, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), together with the African Union Commission, the Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, are organizing a high-level event on 26 September that will bring together African leaders, heads of relevant UN Organizations, other senior officials, and key development actors.

They will discuss concrete partnerships for the effective operationalization of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in Africa, and particularly as related to SDG 9 on “resilient infrastructure, inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation”.

As a way to effectively implement the 2030 Agenda in support of Africa’s industrialization, new partnerships and implementation models are required. UNIDO’s Programmes for Country Partnership, which is currently piloted in Ethiopia and Senegal, addresses current challenges, including the need for enhanced cooperation and coordination.

The high-level event will rally the political support of and commitment from key stakeholders for Africa’s development priorities in the area of inclusive and sustainable industrial development. The event will also discuss how to forge stronger regional, inter-regional and global cooperation for inclusive and sustainable industrial development and deriving recommendations for appropriate mechanisms to facilitate such cooperation, including through South-South cooperation and new partnership models.