Partnerships Essential for SDGs, says UNIDO Director General

By an IPS Correspondent Reprint | | Print |

VIENNA/JAIPUR, Jan 16 2015 (IPS) - The Director General of the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) sees a critical role for partnerships in the successful implementation of the U.N.’s proposed 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking at the 2015 Partnerships Summit in Jaipur, co-organized by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry, and the Government of Rajasthan, Director General Li Yong said: “Partnerships will represent an essential element of the post-2015 development agenda, especially regarding its means of implementation, and thus the full engagement of all sectors of society will be vital to achieving ‘The World We Want’.”

Welcoming the inclusion of “inclusive and sustainable industrialization” in Goal 9 of the outcome document prepared by the Open Working Group, established by the United Nations to formulate the SDGs, the Director General said: “Multi-stakeholder partnerships are indispensable to ensuring the effective implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, with its heavy demands on financing, accountability, universality, integration and data.”

He added that “inclusive and sustainable industrial development has enormous potential to eradicate poverty through economic growth without the accompanying environmental degradation or social inequality.”

Li said that UNIDO, together with the UN Global Compact, co-led the consultations on “private sector engagement”, exploring how to leverage the unparalleled dynamism and creativity of industrialists, private sector companies, entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises to achieve sustainable development objectives.

Those discussions showed the promise of a multi-stakeholder approach to international development goals, incorporating private industry representatives, alongside public sector and civil society partners, he said.

“Triangular and South-South cooperation will form an essential element of any future development paradigm. It strives to complement existing forms of cooperation, rather than supplanting traditional North-South development models. The potential for achieving the economic, environmental and social objectives of development through South-South cooperation is immense. Greater technical cooperation and solid partnership models between developing states, based on recognition of sovereignty and mutual respect, can yield win-win scenarios for all parties,” said Li.

In December 2013, UNIDO Member States ratified the Lima Declaration, giving the Organization a mandate to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development as its vision for sustainable development.

“This approach will be made effective not only at the policy level, but also at the operational level, and this can best be achieved through partnerships with all relevant development actors. Multi-stakeholder partnerships, bringing together governments, private sector representatives, civil society, academia and others, are essential to leveraging shared knowledge and resources,” said Li.

The Director General also visited the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, one of UNIDO’s key partners. TERI’s activities are motivated by the aspiration for promoting environmental sustainability and inclusive growth to realize the goal of sustainable development.