Forum “Promoting inclusive and sustainable industrial development: Strategies and instruments”

July 30, 2014

Start date: 23 June 2014
End date: 24 June 2014
Organizer: United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Location: Vienna International Centre

Description:

Following Member States’ endorsement of the Lima Declaration in December 2013, which gave UNIDO a new mandate to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID), the first ISID Forum engaged Member States in a strategic dialogue on how to formulate strategies and policies that promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
The event drew more than 300 participants and high-level delegations from around 70 countries, including researchers and senior economists.
Drawing on international expertise and regional knowledge, the Forum provided a global platform to debate on how to operationalize these strategies according to international best practices. Debates reflected the diversity of Member States experiences and views, as well as their understanding of both local and global interests, with a consensus on the need to extend sustainable and inclusive development by creating tailor-made solutions for countries and regions.

Panellists agreed on the fact that very often market forces alone do not lead to a proper allocation of resources and that Governments have a role to play to ensure financial stability, food security, social and economic inclusion, and the safeguarding of the environment. Collective actions through public-private partnerships were explored as an effective way of dealing with the provision of public goods, such as hard and soft infrastructure, and sharing knowledge and information. Collective actions were considered especially necessary to support the growth of SMEs, which are generally flexible, innovative, have a high potential for job creation, and considerably contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP) of many countries, including developed countries.

Discussions regarding instruments for inclusive and sustainable industrial policymaking circled around the creation of industrial parks, which were seen to cut across different development strategies. Industrial parks have been successfully used as a testing ground for new reforms, policies and approaches to improve the business environment, as demonstrated in many East Asian countries. When these countries had limited resources, industrial parks helped solve business infrastructure problems in specific geographical areas and were used to overcome barriers to firm entry, to attract foreign direct investment (FDI), to foster skilled manpower, and to facilitate the growth of local industrial SME clusters.

The key outcomes of the first Forum will serve as the foundation for a second Forum, which will aim to pilot the development of innovative partnership “business models” to implement ISID strategies.