UNIDO Publications
IID Policy Brief 21: The future of industrialization: Harnessing megatrends for sustainable growth
2025 | Author(s): J. Hauge, K. Chan, C. Donnelly,, N. Haraguchi, A. Lavopa
#Policy Brief
The global industrial landscape is undergoing transformative change, driven by megatrends such as the energy transition, artificial intelligence and digitalization, global value chain reconfiguration, and demographic shifts. These trends present unique opportunities for developing countries to foster sustainable and inclusive industrial growth. However, foundational challenges, including deficits in infrastructure, skills, and technological capabilities, must be addressed. This policy brief highlights the potential of targeted industrial policies to harness these megatrends while overcoming barriers.
2025 | Author(s): R. Asiama, E. Avenyo, A. Habiyaremye, P. Ncube, F. Tregenna, C. Donnelly & A. Lavopa
#Policy Brief
Africa stands at a crucial juncture, with both significant challenges and a vast potential for transformative growth through industrial development. Despite progress, the continent faces substantial gaps toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in access to energy, economic growth, job creation, industrialization, and innovation. Future-ready industrial policies that are rooted in Africa’s unique context and resources can catalyse SDG progress by creating economic resilience, driving innovation, generating decent jobs, and spurring structural transformation. This policy brief explores how African countries can engage with and leverage global megatrends such as the energy transition, digital transformation, and regional integration to unlock sustainable development opportunities.
2025 | Author(s): Colette van der Ven & Sanvid Tuljapurkar, Virpi Stucki, Stefan Pahl & Helena van Thiel
#Policy Brief
International trade has brought significant opportunities for economic diversification and development. Global supply chains, however, have also long been associated with environmental degradation and human rights abuses. Since voluntary commitments have
proven insufficient to end harmful practices in their entirety, countries around the world are adopting sustainability-driven regulations, imposing mandatory requirements for more sustainable production and trade. Adapting to these new requirements comes at
a cost, both for businesses and at the country level and there are increasing concerns, particularly in industrializing countries, about the burden that these costs may represent. This policy brief contextualizes current discussions, by distinguishing between different
types of sustainability-driven supply chain regulations and associated costs of compliance.
The Multilateral Industrial Policy Forum (MIPF) - Outcome document
2025 | Author(s): UNIDO
The second edition of the Multilateral Industrial Policy Forum (MIPF) 2024, organized jointly by UNIDO and the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) of Saudi Arabia, took place from 23-34 October in Riyadh. The Forum brought together high-level Member State representatives, industry stakeholders and experts to explore innovative approaches and solutions for advancing inclusive and sustainable industrial development aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), centred around three key themes—artificial intelligence and automation in manufacturing, the energy transition, and resilient supply chains.
2025 | Author(s): B. Tse, F. Hartwich
#Policy Brief
With the recent expansion of the BRICS the organization is becoming an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets. As of end-2023, BRICS already represents a population of almost four billion people and a combined economy of over USD 28.5 trillion, or 27 per cent of the world’s economy, and is expected to grow rapidly. Against the backdrop of an increasingly influential BRICS this policy brief examines what the BRICS bloc has achieved, how it has shifted global trade, and how developing countries can better benefit from their BRICS membership and relations.
IID Policy Brief 18: The multiplier effect of industrial jobs
2025 | Author(s): A. Lavopa, F. Riccio
#Policy Brief
Industrialization has historically been regarded as the main avenue to move upwards in the income ladder due to its potential to create a large number of well-paid, high-quality jobs. In recent years, rapid technological change and the automation of many industrial processes have questioned the potential of industry to drive development and create productive jobs. This policy brief challenges this pessimistic view. It provides fresh estimates on the multiplier effect of different sectors of the economy on job creation and shows that manufacturing industries have the largest employment generation potential.
Advancing Gender Equality, Empowering Women
2025 | Author(s): UNIDO
This publication highlights inspiring success stories and good practices showcasing how UNIDO is tackling gender disparities and discrimination against women and girls, while improving their participation and leadership across the world. They demonstrate the power of governments, the UN system, the private sector and associations working together in driving impactful changes. Transformed policies and practices mean women and girls having more equal access to education and employment, a voice in driving these changes, and decent jobs to support themselves, their families, and their communities. These stories illustrate sustainable transformation, where both women and men thrive and become leaders to drive inclusive and sustainable industrial development.
Investment Facilitation and FDI Intelligence Support
2025 | Author(s): UNIDO
By helping investors to establish, maintain and grow their presence in host countries, IPIs can facilitate the long-term impact of investment in the host economy. Investment facilitation is intertwined with the strengthened FDI intelligence capacity of IPIs and supports responsible business conduct in pursuance of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Global Cleantech Innovation Index
2024 | Author(s): UNIDO
The Global Cleantech Innovation Index is a collaborative effort between UNIDO’s Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Cleantech Group, which examines the potential of GCIP partner countries to produce and scale startups and micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) essential for commercializing clean technologies in coming years. The purpose of the Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2024 is to present a contemporary framework for evaluating the Cleantech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (CIEE) in the GCIP partner countries. The report consolidates key information on policy, cluster development and activities of national ecosystems to identify strengths and opportunities within them.
Fostering the role of women in berries and nuts value chain
2024 | Author(s): UNIDO
This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the gender dynamics within Ukraine’s berries and nuts sector, with a particular focus on Quality Infrastructure. It aims to ensure that the project’s activities equip women with the necessary skills, competencies, and tools to make a significant impact on the sector, while also benefiting the industry by addressing its professional and support needs. The findings will help shape strategies to promote gender equality and support women in their evolving roles, ultimately contributing to the resilience and sustainability of Ukraine's economy.
Case Studies: Circular Economy Implementation in Ukraine
2024 | Author(s): UNIDO
This publication, prepared by UNIDO with support of the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production Centre (RECPC) as National implementing partner under the EU-funded EU4Environment Action, explores circular economy approaches in Ukraine. It features national case studies from local companies, gathered through RECPC’s collaboration with industry and a company survey, along with additional cases sourced from publicly available resources.
SFVC Methodological Brief - Developing sustainable food value chains
2024 | Author(s): UNIDO and FAO
#Publications
This brief provides a rigorous and standardized approach for value chain analysis and design (VCA/D).
UNIDO's SSTIC Achievements 2024 - A Year in Review
2024 | Author(s): UNIDO
#South-South cooperation
2024 | Author(s): J. Ferraz, W. Peres, A. Lavopa, C. Seri
#Policy Brief
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has shown mixed results in their performance towards achieving the SDGs most closely related to industrial development. Significant progress is observed in energy-related SDGs but large gaps are registered in the targets related to employment, economic growth, industrial development and innovation. This brief presents specific case studies from the region to illustrate how targeted policies can foster industrial development to address current gaps while leveraging on existing opportunities tied to these megatrends.