The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) dedicated to promoting and accelerating Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) in its member states.
Mission and Mandate
UNIDO’s central mission, reaffirmed by the 2013 Lima Declaration and the 2019 Abu Dhabi Declaration, is to promote ISID. This concept advocates for industrial growth that is:
- Inclusive: Ensuring shared prosperity and leaving no one behind, benefiting women, men, youth, and both urban and rural communities.
- Sustainable: Operating within an environmentally sustainable framework to safeguard the well-being of future generations.
UNIDO’s mandate is intrinsically linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and it is the key multilateral organization responsible for accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9): “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.”
History and Structure
- Foundation: UNIDO was originally established in 1966 as a special organ of the UN General Assembly to assist and accelerate the industrialization of developing countries.
- Specialized Agency Status: It was converted into a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1985.
- Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
- Membership: The organization has 173 Member States (as of late 2023)
Core Functions and Focus Areas
UNIDO supports its Member States through four mutually reinforcing functions:
- Technical Cooperation: Delivering concrete projects and programmes, often with a significant focus on Africa, which is the largest recipient of UNIDO’s technical assistance.
- Analytical, Research, and Policy-Advisory Services: Providing policy advice and maintaining a global database, the Industrial Analytics Platform (IAP), for industrial statistics and analysis.
- Standard Setting and Compliance: Contributing to defining and promoting international standards in areas like energy management (e.g., ISO 50001) and green industry.
- Convening Function: Fostering partnerships, knowledge transfer, and industrial cooperation among governments, the private sector, and other development actors.
UNIDO’s work concentrates on three main areas:
- Ending Hunger and Increasing Food Security: By helping businesses from farm to fork, reducing post-harvest losses, and promoting sustainable agribusiness and agro-industries.
- Stopping Climate Breakdown: By promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean energy technologies, and helping industries reduce greenhouse gas emissions (Clean Energy and Climate Action).
- Supporting Sustainable Supply Chains: Promoting fair, responsible, and local industrial production and trade, including strengthening quality standards for products from developing countries.
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