Li Yong, director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and Chipoka Mulenga, Zambias minister of commerce, trade and industry, have signed a five-year programme for country partnership (PCP) at the eighth forum on Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) during the 19th session of the UNIDO general conference
Under the leadership of the government of Zambia, the PCP will strengthen existing and forge new partnerships for the inclusive and sustainable industrial development of Zambia, with the main objective of contributing to a diversified, competitive, inclusive and sustainable industrial economy. As part of its commitment to the programme, the government of Zambia has pledged more than US$20mn as co-financing for the implementation of the PCP objectives, which is expected to leverage additional resources from development partners.
The PCP and its pertinent initiatives have already received support from the governments of China, Sweden, Finland and Japan, as well as the European Union, among other relevant partners.
“The finalisation of the programming phase marks an important milestone and I commend the government of Zambia for its vision and leadership throughout the process,” said Li. He added, “UNIDO, through the PCP, will continue to support Zambia, as we progress to the next stage of our collaboration.”
Based on the results of the PCP Industrial Diagnostic Study conducted by UNIDO and in line with the government’s priorities, three focus areas were identified: (i) Fostering manufacturing industries and value addition on primary commodities; (ii) Industrial skills development; and (iii) Improving the policy environment.
In line with the three focus areas, the multi-stakeholder partnerships promoted under the PCP will largely focus on value chain development, investment promotion for economic diversification, sustainable production processes, green industry, and clean and affordable energy, as well as evidence-based industrial policymaking and governance.
The newly signed partnership will also serve as the main framework of action for UNIDO to contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Strategic Development Partnership Framework (UNSDPF) 2016-2022 for Zambia, and its Addendum, i.e. the upcoming United Nations Sustainable Development Country Framework (UNSDCF) for Zambia, as well as the UN Socio-Economic Response Plan guiding the UN efforts to facilitate the post-COVID-19 recovery in the country.
