United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)

UNIDO was established in 1966 and became a specialised agency of the United Nations in 1985. As a specialised agency, UNIDO has a governing body (now composed of 172 member states), a constitution and a budget of its own, independent of the United Nations Organisation and other specialised agencies.

UNIDO’s corporate strategy "Productivity Enhancement for Social Advance" is achieved through two complementary and mutually supportive core functions: global forum activities and technical cooperation. UNIDO’s activities are focused geographically on least developed countries, Africa in particular; sectorally on agro-based industries; and thematically on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

As a global forum, UNIDO generates and disseminates knowledge relating to industrial matters and provides a platform for the various actors in the public and private sectors, civil society organisations and the policy- making community in general to enhance cooperation, establish dialogue and develop partnerships.

As a technical cooperation agency, UNIDO designs and implements programmes to support the industrial development efforts of its clients. It also offers tailor-made specialized support for programme development.

The broad programmatic objectives and priorities of UNIDO are given in the Business Plan on the Future Role and Functions of UNIDO endorsed by the seventh session of the General Conference in 1997, in its resolution GC.7/Res.1.

This Business Plan grouped the activities of UNIDO into two areas of concentration: Strengthening industrial capacities, including programmes in support of the global forum function and policy advice; and Cleaner and sustainable industrial development. In addition, while maintaining the universal character and vocation of UNIDO, the Business Plan provided for the Organisation's activities to be focused geographically on least developed countries, in particular in Africa; sectorally on agro-based industries; and thematically on small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

UNIDO achieves these objectives through:
(a) Integrated programmes (IPs) or country service frameworks (CSFs), based on combinations of its eight service modules or in
(b) Stand-alone projects involving only one or two service modules.

UNIDO's eight Service Modules are:

• Industrial Governance and Statistics; 
• Investment and Technology Promotion;
• Industrial Competitiveness and Trade;
• Private Sector Development;
•  Agro-Industry;
• Sustainable Energy and Climate Change;
• Montreal Protocol (substances that deplete the ozone layer);
• Environmental Management

"Integration" within an Integrated Programme is not just at the level of the Service Modules selected for the programme, it also has to be achieved at the level of donor mechanisms, national counterparts and other development activities undertaken by the United Nations or bilateral agencies in the respective country or region.

With regard to the methods of delivery of its technical cooperation services, UNIDO has developed a set of thematic initiatives to supplement the existing modalities of integrated programmes, country service frameworks and stand-alone projects. These initiatives: Trade Capacity Building; Human Security in Post Crisis Situations; Poverty Reduction through Productive Activities; and Energy and Environment, are intended to provide specialised assistance to developing countries and countries with economies in transition in meeting particularly pressing development needs in line with the international development agenda and UNIDO's comparative advantages in the field of industrial development.

Under the umbrella of its Energy and Environment initiative, UNIDO hosts the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) is a coalition of progressive governments, businesses and organisations, initiated at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in August 2002 by the UK Government. The REEEP provides an open and flexible framework within which governments work together to meet their own sustainable energy objectives according to their own timetables.

In November 2003, with assistance from the Austrian Government, the International Secretariat of REEEP was opened in the UNIDO offices in the VIC (Vienna International Centre). 

REEEP seeks to accelerate and expand the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems. The organisation has recognised that these sustainable energy systems can address the key challenges of sustainable development, notably improve energy security, foster economic development, and greater social equity whilst reducing the environmental impact of energy consumption and production.

For further information see www.unido.org