2006/241
UNIDO’S INTEGRATED PORGRAMME IN IRAN PROGRESSING WELL
By Jean-Luc Bernard
UNIDO Representative in Iran
TEHRAN - Forty years ago, on 17 November 1966, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as its industrial development arm. In 1985 it became a specialized agency with its own budget and governance structure.
In Tehran, we celebrated the 40th anniversary with a ceremony at the Iran Chamber of Commerce and Industry in which the Minister of Industry & Mines Dr. A. Tahmasbi and the Deputy Minister of Industry & Mines Dr. Shaterzadeh and other top officials of the Government and industry participated.
Headquartered in Vienna, Austria, UNIDO since its establishment has been assisting developing countries to achieve sustainable industrial development and reduce poverty by helping the poor to earn an income and improve their quality of life. Today the Organization focuses on three areas, which contribute to global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals - poverty reduction through productive activities, trade capacity building, and energy and environment.
UNIDO seeks to stimulate the growth of small and medium scale enterprises (SME) and is active in promoting productive activities for rural development. The Organization's trade capacity work focuses on helping countries and their enterprises to take part in international trade by assisting them to produce competitive goods that conform to
international standards. UNIDO promotes the use of cleaner production methods by helping industrial enterprises to use chemicals, raw materials, energy and water in a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective manner. The Organization assists countries to meet environmental norms and standards and comply with international protocols.
The UNIDO Office in Iran, which has existed here since 1999, has been working closely with the Government of the Islamic Republic. It is currently implementing its Integrated Programme for competitive industrial development in Iran with a view to help increase the share of the non-oil sector in the Iranian economy, to foster sustainable development of competitive industries and to create employment.
As part of this programme, it is working on developing a policy and institutional framework for SME development, capacity building and entrepreneurship development programs addressing women and youth, in particular in the Bam area. In the future, we plan to work on SME information networks and Subcontracting Exchange Systems development.
UNIDO is also working with its national counterparts on the modernization of agro-based dates processing industries, to be followed by the olive oil sector. This programme could also be extended to processing of sugar-cane by-products, the dairy, rice and tea sectors.
In the area of investment and technology promotion, capacity building and technology transfer, UNIDO has been reviewing the possible establishment of an Investment Promotion Unit, with a view to support the Iranian SME sector with a wide range of business support services. Further to increase competitiveness through industrial renovation and restructuring, UNIDO’s projects in the areas of technology foresight, technology management, support to incubators creation and sustainability, will pave the way for a well structured program in view of improving industrial competitiveness in Iran.
Finally, in order to promote energy efficiency, UNIDO’s Multilateral Environmental Agreements Branch is also active in Iran. UNIDO has already completed a large number of Montreal Protocol funded projects in Iran in view of the phasing out of Ozone Layer Depleting Substances. To tackle Persistent Organic Pollutants, we recently took the first step when we held a workshop on the “Fulfillment of Industrial Sector Obligations in the Implementation of the Stockholm Convention” for government officials.
UNIDO Office in Iran, as a member of the United Nations System in Iran, participates actively in the UN’s collective response to country development activities and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
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