VIENNA – Solomon Islands has become the 173rd Member State of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Solomon Islands is a country in the South Pacific with a population of 721,000, distributed across 90 inhabited islands. Solomon Islands has been promoting economic growth through investments in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and the tourism and mining sectors.

Solomon Islands is among the 39 United Nations Member States which are themselves Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Upon its accession to UNIDO, 35 of these 39 countries are now UNIDO Member States.

As one of the SIDS, Solomon Islands faces major, unique challenges, particularly the impacts of climate change. It is also highly dependent on imports, making it vulnerable to global crises such as inflation or energy crises.

Director General Gerd Müller said: ”I am very happy to welcome Solomon Islands as our newest Member State!  UNIDO stands ready to work with Solomon Islands on sustainable solutions to build a diversified and resilient economy. Despite the challenges the country faces, there are also great opportunities for more local value addition, especially in the blue economy or in agribusiness. And we will continue to expand our work through our Global Network of Sustainable Energy Centres. Innovative clean energy solutions, including ocean energy, can sustainably power Solomon Islands’ economy, while allowing massive savings on expensive fuel imports.”

UNIDO has been engaging with Solomon Islands prior to the country’s formal membership: UNIDO as part of the UN development system in Solomon Islands contributed to the formulation and implementation of the United Nations Pacific Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023–2027 and the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS 2024-2034.

Through the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (PCREEE), part of UNIDO’s Global Network of Sustainable Energy Centres,  UNIDO will continue to support the country’s transition to a low-carbon economy. Moreover, UNIDO will also support the development of the country’s blue economy, and fostering a business environment conducive to greater investment.

The Organization’s vision for Solomon Islands will also align with the strategic approach outlined in UNIDO’s SIDS Strategy 2019–2025, which focuses on addressing industry-related vulnerabilities faced by SIDS through Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID). Implementation will be concentrated on fostering new partnerships, provision for financing and encouraging trade, capacity building, access to technology and availability of data and statistics.

Solomon Islands’ new membership is a testament to UNIDO’s unwavering commitments to SIDS. As Director General Müller noted at the 4th International Conference on SIDS which concluded in May 2024, UNIDO is ready to assist SIDS with concrete projects and initiatives, enhancing  technical support to SIDS while also strengthening SIDS-SIDS industrial cooperation worldwide in order to facilitate economic diversification, clean energy, and investment promotion.

For more information, please contact:

Jie Zhao

Chief and SIDS Coordinator, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific

j.zhao@unido.org