United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations with a unique mandate to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the overarching global framework for our work. UNIDO plays a crucial role in accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 9, along with all other industry-related goals of the 2030 Agenda.

First established in 1966 and transformed into a specialized UN agency in 1985, UNIDO’s 171 Member States guide the Organization through the Policymaking organs. The Lima Declaration of 2013 and the Abu Dhabi Declaration of 2019 are recent milestone declarations that reaffirm the Organization’s mandate.

The UNIDO Secretariat is currently composed of approximately 680 staff members, as well as 1,700 consultants from 135 countries. Gerd Müller was appointed as Director General of UNIDO by the General Conference in November 2021.

In addition to its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, UNIDO has liaison offices in Brussels, Geneva and New York. The UNIDO field network consists of 48 regional and country offices. UNIDO also maintains ten Investment and Technology Promotion Offices.

UNIDO provides its support through four mandated functions: technical cooperation; action-oriented research and policy-advisory services; normative standards-related activities; and fostering partnerships for knowledge and technology transfer.

UNIDO recognizes the role of sustainable industrial development in achieving gender equality and the economic empowerment of women.