“UNIDO and the European Union : State of the International Partnership 2020”

Dear Colleagues, dear Friends,

As we reflect on the past year, I wanted to take this time to THANK YOU for your continued support.

The international community, including the European Union and the United Nations, is subject to changing global power dynamics. In this evolving environment, the EU has had a remarkably stable presence alongside UNIDO and has increasingly shaped a unique cooperation portfolio to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Overall, the European Union is UNIDO’s largest donor of voluntary contribution from governmental sources, with a contribution to TC programmes of more than 20% in 2019.

European Commission President von der Leyen’s strong pledges towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the support for robust multilateral systems expressed in her mission letters to the European Commissioners, are opportunities to deepen partnership with the UN / UNIDO.

On AFRICA, the development of a new comprehensive strategy shall create a partnership of equals and mutual interest through trade and investment partnerships. UNIDO, as UN convener of the UNGA resolution for “Industrial Decade for Development of Africa” (IDDA III), will provide its full support to build and deliver this new strategy for Africa.

UNIDO and the European Union strategic dialogues will be engaged in priorities, such as the Circular Economy Action Plan, the blue economy, Europe’s long-term strategy for an industrial future, a new SME strategy, an energy-efficiency and renewable-energy plan, the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy on sustainable food and the production of a yearly foresight report ; these and many more will prove to set the foundation for a renewed UNIDO and the European Union international partnership in 2020 and beyond.

Migration origin and transit, as well as gender equality and the empowerment of women will continue to be a top priority in UNIDO to support European Union cooperation.

To that end, full alignment between the policy level in Brussels, Vienna and New York and the operational level on the ground are a must. Future cooperation in the field will be based on the strategic dialogues established between the EU and UNIDO in the context of a strong EU-UN country architecture.

For more information, I invite you to read our flagship publication “UNIDO and the European Union : State of the International Partnership 2020” as well as the attached office newsletter.

On behalf of the entire UNIDO Team working in Brussels, we wish you and your loved ones ALL THE BEST for the new year (and decade!).

Best wishes,
Patrick