Opening of the Global Industry Summit in Riyadh – It is time to do justice to developing countries

What is industrial summit?

The Summit is the 21st conference of the United Nations Industrial Organization (UNIDO), which focuses on many issues that affect the lives of people, especially in developing countries, including:

It is not just about words. Industrialization is important in achieving well-being and stability. This was confirmed by the Director-General of the Organization, Gerd Muller, in his speech at the opening of the summit, where he called for… “Be optimistic” In order to work on finding solutions to various challenges.

This importance was also emphasized by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, in his message to the summit. Guterres said in his speech delivered by the United Nations Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Al-Zarqani: “Industrial development is essential to boost economies, fight poverty, and create jobs and prosperity.”.

Uniting efforts to lift the burdens

From early on, the King Abdulaziz International Convention Center in the heart of the Saudi capital burst into life, as government, private sector and civil society delegates flocked to attend the week-long event at a critical time as several rich countries reduced their spending on development aid.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations urged governments and companies to unite their efforts to lift the burden by expanding sustainable manufacturing, which is an important recommendation Future Charter.

Numerous topics focused on this year’s conference include how to reduce emissions and support renewable energy, eliminating hunger through industrial agricultural innovation to improve food security, and sustainable supply chains that ensure trade benefits workers, communities and the environment.

Fight inequality

Addressing delegates on Sunday, the UNIDO Director-General, who was re-elected to a second four-year term on opening day, called on the developed world to do more to combat inequality.

And he said: “The rich, industrialized and oil-producing countries must fulfill their global responsibilities.”wondering why it has not achieved this goal yet, 30 years after it promised to spend 0.7% of its annual budgets on foreign development aid.

Mueller added: “It is time for a new, fair global deal that gives developing countries better access to the global financial system and tariff-free access to markets.”.

The UN official extended an invitation to G20 leaders at their meeting in South Africa, urging them to cancel significant cuts in funding for UN relief agencies, including the World Food Program and the World Health Organization, which reached 40%.

Mueller said: “This is a death sentence for millions of children, refugees and people living in crisis zones around the world who depend on humanitarian aid.”.

Arab women entrepreneurs and voices of the future

After the opening, the coming days are expected to be full of events, as Dr. Hashim Hussein, head of UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office in the Bahraini capital, Manama, told UN News that the next three days will focus on investment, women’s empowerment, and youth.

He spoke about the role of the office in highlighting the role of entrepreneurs in the conference, saying: “We have 121 participants from Bahrain and various Arab countries, as well as from African countries. There is also an exhibition that represents women’s successes, and we have many Arab women entrepreneurs participating in this exhibition.”.

He also indicated that he will participate in a symposium during the conference entitled “Voices of the Future,” where the successes of young entrepreneurs will be highlighted. “Who will talk about their success, the challenges they faced, and what factors enabled them to be drivers of change in their communities and countries.”.