Following the two days of talks in Brussels, Director General Yumkella expressed the hope that UNIDO’s “ future cooperation with the European Commission would also include sustainable production and consumption, energy efficiency and promoting renewable energy for productive use.”
Programme of his visit:
Meeting with Antonio Tajani, Vice-president of the European Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship – Thursday 24 March 2011
The development of industry and the potential of private sector investments for creating jobs and wealth around the world were at the center of the discussions. A strong partnership between Africa, the EU and a specialized agency like UNIDO is considered instrumental for higher impact on poverty reduction in Africa through business linkages and quality investment.
Meeting with Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development – Thursday 24 March 2011
The high level meeting focused on UNIDO’s contribution to support developing countries establishing the basis for the development of industries that are at the same time socially inclusive, economically competitive and environmentally friendly. The actual cooperation between the EC and UNIDO is considered an excellent basis for its further development, in the frame of the Joint Africa-EU Partnership and beyond. They both recognized that energy, agriculture, industry and trade will remain central for the long term development of developing countries.
Meeting with Ms. Connie Hedegaard – European Commissioner for Climate Action- Friday 25, March, 2011
Discussions revolved around energy access, the Rio+20 process and the potential for collaboration on energy and climate change at different levels. Different concrete possibilities were explored to enhance Europe’s efforts to combat climate change on a wider scale and to strengthen developing countries’ capacities to deal with energy and climate change challenges.
Meeting with Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Secretary General of the Asian, Caribbean and Pacific Group – Thursday 24 March 2011
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between UNIDO and the ACP Secretariat with the aim of a more structural cooperation for development of inclusive, competitive and green industry. This document marks the start of a much closer relationship between the organisations in several areas of mutual benefit.
Profile: Kandeh K. Yumkella
Kandeh Yumkella is the Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the specialized agency of the United Nations mandated to foster sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition. At the same time, UNIDO helps to protect the environment by supporting clean and sustainable technology. He was elected to the post of Director-General in December 2005, and re-elected for a second term in December 2009.
Kandeh Yumkella is a strong believer that the most effective way to fight poverty is to strengthen the productive capacities of countries and people, enhance their adaptive capabilities to use modern technology and devices, and to commercialize new knowledge. He has advocated pro-poor industrial and agribusiness development as sustainable means of wealth and job creation, and the economic empowerment of the poor.
