17:04 | Lima, Dic. 02 (ANDINA).
The 15th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which kicked off Monday in the capital of Peru, has adopted a new Lima Declaration that charts the Organization’s development priorities for the coming years and places special emphasis on inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
“Nearly forty years ago, Lima hosted a UNIDO General Conference which passed a milestone document – the Lima Declaration on Industrial Development and Cooperation," said Peru’s President Ollanta Humala, who officially opened the General Conference.
He continued, "I am honored that today Peru is once again receiving high-ranking representatives of all UNIDO Member States, and once again a historic document is being adopted”.
The newly-adopted Lima Declaration states that UNIDO should serve as a global facilitator of knowledge and advice on policies and strategies towards achieving inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
Moreover, it should focus on the three thematic priorities in which it has comparative advantage and expertise, including productive capacity-building, trade capacity-building, and sustainable production and industrial resource efficiency.
For his part, Speaking at the opening of the General Conference, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that the Lima Declaration “will create the foundation for the coming decades of UNIDO’s important work as the central agency in the United Nations for all matters related to industrialization.”
He noted the deadline on accelerating action towards the Millennium Development Goals, shaping a bold and inspiring new development agenda, and reaching a new legal agreement on climate change is the year 2015.
Likewise, he said that industry and the private sector in general will play an important part in efforts over the next two years to steer “the human family on a safer, more prosperous and sustainable path.”
Meanwhile, LI Yong, the Director General of UNIDO, said “The Lima Declaration is a manifestation of Members States’ support for and confidence in UNIDO. It is a roadmap for the future of the Organization and sets a solid basis for further advancing industrial development in the post-2015 and Sustainable Development Goals processes.
It highlights UNIDO’s critical expertise and experience in the field of inclusive and sustainable industrial development, and in forging new development partnerships.”
The declaration stresses the relevance of inclusive and sustainable industrial development as the basis for sustained economic growth and, while respecting the processes established by the UN General Assembly, encourages appropriate consideration of the issue in the elaboration of the post-2015 development agenda.
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Published: 12/2/2013