VIENNA – Food security, poverty, climate change and environmental degradation are challenges facing the world today, impacting specially women, young people and the poorest. Global unemployment is at around 208 million, with an additional two billion in informal jobs with little protection.  Therefore, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Director General Müller has set three major priorities for actions to tackle these challenges. Hosted by the UNIDO Innovation Lab (InnoLab), Müller participated in a project showcase session where UNIDO’s most innovative projects and programmes were presented as lighthouse examples for future initiatives.

Innovation is the key to addressing complex global challenges and achieving sustainable development goals. The projects and programmes showcased in the session prove that working at the intersection of data analytics, technology, and entrepreneurship is crucial to drive positive change and create a better future for all.

The programme of the event hear from success stories and plans for scaling of programmes such as the Global Partnership for Hydrogen in Industry, the circular economy portfolio, the newly launched  Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA) and Invest in ACP platform, the best practices taken forward from the Public Private Development Partnership (PPDP) approach, the milestones reached by the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) and Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), and the global reach of the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI). The project showcase session displayed how their cumulative efforts contribute across UNIDO’s priority areas.

As DG Müller noted, “progress by innovation is our guiding paradigm to address the current global challenges, find new opportunities and create a sustainable future. At UNIDO, innovation is at the heart of our projects to promote progress and find concrete solutions. We are proud of these lighthouse programmes that are leading the way inside UNIDO, consolidating scaling efforts and creating narratives collaboratively for greater synergy and impact”.

By continuing to prioritize innovation and stakeholder engagement, UNIDO can continue to make significant strides in achieving its goals and improving the lives of people around the world.