STOCKHOLM - On the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of the Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF), a UNIDO initiative funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida),  a workshop was organized to celebrate the achievements of the programme and to discuss potential new Public-Private Development Partnership (PPDP) projects.

Commemorating the occasion, Alan AtKisson, Sida’s Assistant Director-General and Director of the Department for Partnership and Innovation said, "We appreciate how these partnerships with UNIDO’s LKDF add value, mobilize financial and non-financial resources from the private sector, and together we believe that we can contribute to advancing common challenges".

Reinforcing the value of PPDPs, Gunther Beger, UNIDO’s Managing Director, acknowledged the importance of the meeting to identify new paths for future collaborations, particularly as UNIDO adopted its motto, “Progress by innovation”. He noted, “today, we have a fantastic opportunity to come together to brainstorm and design new initiatives, that will utilize the latest innovative concepts and technologies, to generate project proposals aimed at supporting the SDGs in developing countries”.

Representatives from Volvo, FESTO, and HP, LKDF’s longest-standing private sector partners, showcased the tangible achievements of the PPDP projects that they are involved in with UNIDO.  This resonated with the messaging from the recently concluded Fifth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries Youth Forum session that a conducive ecosystem consisting of the different stakeholders, including the private sector is necessary to secure economic empowerment in the industrial sector, particularly for MSMEs, SMEs and youth.

Aligned with UNIDO’s priorities under the leadership of its Director General, Gerd Müller aimed at ending hunger and poverty, UNIDO and Sida will work closely with its private sector partners to develop innovative new projects focused on skilling the workforce in developing countries.

For any questions or partnership inquiries, please contact the LKDF here