On the margins of 46th session of the Industrial Development Board (IDB), LI Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Gerhard Kuentzle, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Germany to UNIDO, signed two funding agreements aimed at boosting women empowerment in green industry and strengthening trade capacity building.
Through one agreement, Germany supports the global programme “Economic empowerment of women in the green industry” with €1,100,000. The aim of this programme, implemented together with UN Women, is to advise policy-makers and practitioners on the establishment and implementation of a policy framework to integrate gender and green industrial policies. With a focus on Cambodia, Peru, Senegal and South Africa, this programme wants to empower more women to take leadership roles in green industries as entrepreneurs or industrial professionals.
Through another agreement, Germany invests €400,000 as a contribution to UNIDO’s thematic Trust Fund on Trade-Related Capacity-Building to advance the economic competitiveness of developing countries and in particular Least Developed Countries. Together with other donors such as the European Union, this contribution will help to advance trade capacities and quality infrastructure in Africa and beyond.
“Our partnership with Germany is strategic and continues to expand. This is another example of reinforcing our cooperation on key issues such as gender equality, women in green industry and trade capacity building,” said UNIDO Director General LI Yong.
Ambassador Kuentzle said: “Germany is glad and ready to invest in UNIDO as a critical partner in the UN system to advance Sustainable Development Goal 9 and socio-economic development. This is another important milestone in our fruitful and expanding partnership.”
Both parties remain confident that the cooperation will further develop and intensify in the near future and look forward to continue further strategic talks soon.
Original source: UNIDO
Published on 27 November 2018
