Statement by Gerd Müller, UNIDO DG

at the Opening Session of IDB 51

Vienna, 3-6 July, 2023

President Elnour,
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Ladies and gentlemen,

 I congratulate you, President Elnour, on your election and thank you for
your important words here.

 I remember my own election in this hall, 18 months ago.

 So, I am very pleased to welcome you all.

 Recently however I was shocked on watching the news:

 Montevideo, Uruguay: the city is having an acute water shortage, in the

worst drought in 115 years.

 Vietnam and much of Southeast Asia, large parts of Latin America. The
Sahara region, the horn of Africa.

 The impacts of climate change affect all continents, not just Africa. There,
however, the situation is particularly difficult.

 Climate change is currently the greatest challenge facing the planet.

 Both drought and flood disasters, as in Pakistan in recent years, destroy

the livelihoods of millions of people.

 Hunger, hardship and unemployment threaten many countries.

 The global community must find effective answers to the multiple crises
of our time.

 UNIDO must, can and will contribute to the solutions.

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  Tomorrow we will be adopting our climate strategy.

 UNIDO works with the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate
Fund and many more international partners to implement climate action
projects in your countries.

 We are strengthening the resilience of rural regions with adapted

production methods in agriculture.

 We work on new irrigation methods, new agro-solar projects and much

more.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 There is another crisis which has not yet ended,

 I keep stressing it: the effects of the pandemic are not past and the
consequences are dramatic:

 Millions of people have lost their lives and over 200 million their jobs.

 LDCs in particular urgently need more solidarity and support.

 In recent months, they have been working with experts to develop new
regional strategies for development in the countries of Africa, Asia,
Eastern Europe and Latin America.

 We will discuss and adopt these strategies at the General Conference here
in Vienna in December.

 At the UN Assembly and SDG Summit in New York, these issues need to
be central to the discussion and decisions taken.

 This also includes formulating a Vision 2030 of a future sustainable

industrialization policy.

 We need to offer answers to the key questions: How do we create access

to electricity and sustainable energy for all?

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  How is it possible to decouple necessary economic growth from CO2
emissions?

 UNIDO is focusing on the implementation of renewable energies and the

use of green hydrogen worldwide.

 The development and use of hydrogen economies must first and foremost
bring value creation and growth to the Global South.

 Green hydrogen from and for the developing countries is the goal. UNIDO
has developed a successful global hydrogen initiative for this purpose.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 What‘s more: The population of developing countries is continually

increasing.

 Thus there must also be an answer to the question of how we can create
a world without hunger.

 Investments in infrastructure, innovation and industrialization of food

systems are necessary.

 Investing in rural regions and increasing productivity in agriculture with

new technologies is possible already today – a world without hunger is
possible!

 The same is true for improved health care structures, the expansion of
education systems - using of the possibilities of digitalization and artificial
intelligence.

 Progress, growth, new jobs, better future opportunities for youth, women
and families - these are our common goals.

 Sustainable energy, higher productivity in agriculture, and local added

value.

 Fair trade system and processing industries.

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 For all of this - UNIDO has access to cutting-edge technologies, and the
collected knowledge and interested investors from around the world.

 In creating a Vision of UNIDO 2030, I see new focus areas for our future
work:

 Firstly, we will further expand cooperation with the private sector: this is
particularly necessary and promising in: food production and processing;
in the renewable energy and green hydrogen sectors; in the
pharmaceutical industry as well as in the mining sector - to name just a
few growth areas.

 Of course, such expansion can only be done step by step.

 Secondly, we will specifically analyze and strengthen project cooperation

with our main donors.

 I thank all donor countries, and I particularly would like to highlight four
smaller countries today: Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Finland.

 Alongside the largest Member State donors, these are among the top ten
donor countries with strong support for UNIDO. Thank you!

 Here I would also name our very important institutional partners such as
the GEF, the Adaptation Fund, the Montreal Protocol, the Green Climate
Fund and the European Union.

 There is much new potential with our shared priorities.

 Thirdly, cooperation with the World Bank and multilateral development

banks from China, Asia, Europe and the USA can and must be stepped up.

 Fourthly, we must build on our opportunities for dialogue and exchange

with universities, research institutes and philanthropists worldwide.

 And finally: In the future, up to 70% of people will live in cities.

 Project partnerships with municipalities in the field of green cities and

modern infrastructure are increasingly important.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

 With our reorganization and the 2024-25 budget, we have created a

strong basis for our future work.

 We can begin to do “more with more”.

 I am very, very grateful to you for this.

 In 2022 we were able to mobilize 17% more funds for Technical

Cooperation. In the next biennium we are on the way for a 25% increase.

 The modernization of our work is now well underway and is proceeding

throughout the organization.

 What is key: Our project portfolio should be organized more efficiently,

thinking big instead of being small-scale and fragmented.

 That means UNIDO should concentrate on implementing flagship and

lighthouse initiatives.

 For example: with Agro-Industrial Parks combined with Energy and

Vocational Training Centres – contributing to a world without hunger.

 To reflect the Vision I outlined, I am now setting up a commission on

"Sustainable Development 2030" to develop a five-year plan for UNIDO.

 We need new strategies, new courage and new initiatives.

 Success is based on cooperation and teamwork. I thank you all for the
great degree of trust and support.

 I also thank the entire UNIDO team: all the staff, consultants and our
leadership team.

 We work together successfully and I am very grateful for that. UNIDO is

YOUR industrial development agency. You set the pace and the direction.

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Excellencies,

 As Director General, I am the driver for implementation, Progress by

Innovation is our motto.

 My request to you, the Member States, and especially to the main donors
is:

 Use UNIDO's expertise and global network even more than before for
larger projects.

 The voluntary contributions should continue to increase.

 We are currently implementing many small projects and again, I believe

we should move on to more larger project approaches.

 Good examples are:

 The new 65 million pound facility with the UK on innovative clean energy
technologies for climate neutrality in industry in developing countries.

 The partnership with the European Union and the African Union together
with the ITC worth €200 million to support the AU with African Free Trade
Zone implementation.

 The new Ukraine reconstruction project could become a model of future

cooperation between several member states.

 I have appointed a new responsible coordinator and formed new

initiatives here at headquarters for this.

 The new UNIDO Innovation and Transformation Fund also offers novel
opportunities.

 Next: we can significantly strengthen our field structure with the new
2024 budget. We are filling vacant positions now and setting new
priorities from 2024.

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, looking forward:

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  UN Secretary General Guterres has called for an SDG Stimulus.

 We are at the midway point to 2030 and the SDGs.

 We can indeed achieve the SDGs, but only if investment channeled to

these commitments is increased by at least 2% of global GDP.

 At COP28, industrialized countries must deliver on the $100 billion pledge

for climate action and move ahead with the agreed Loss and Damage Fund
to finance climate adaptation measures.

 There must be debt relief for the LDCs.

 Only with global solidarity can the great challenges be solved.

Excellencies,

 As your work here at the fifty first IDB begins, let me thank you all for your
support, cooperation and dedication.

 Your discussions here will focus on budgetary proposals - I also ask for
flexibility - as well as UNIDO's Strategy for Climate Change.

 I am grateful particularly to the co-chairs of the informal working group,

Mr. Singh from India and Mr. Czubek from Poland.

 And I specially thank the outgoing President of the Board, H.E Alejandro
Edmundo Solano Ortíz from Costa Rica for his exceptional engagement
over the past year.

 I also again congratulate the newly elected President of the Board, H.E.
Magdi Ahmed Mofadal Elnour of Sudan.

 I look forward to a successful IDB meeting

Thank you so much