The accession of South Sudan is a boost to the momentum of joint efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the continent.
UNIDO and South Sudan have enjoyed fruitful cooperation in recent years, with multiple initiatives implemented to promote food security, resilience, social cohesion and peace.
“I have the honour to express my country’s commitment to a comprehensive partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, towards achieving our national industrial development goals and objectives,” said South Sudan’s trade and industry minister Kuol Athian Mawien.
“This is in line with the African Union Agenda 2063 and, indeed, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.
As a signatory to South Sudan’s recently launched United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2025, UNIDO will support the development of greener pathways to sustainable economic growth and diversification, build essential manufacturing infrastructure to generate decent employment opportunities for youth and women, and foster resilience, particularly to the impacts of climate change.
“I know that working together we can help South Sudan into an era of sustainable industrialization that will benefit all its peoples,” said UNIDO Director General, Gerd Müller. “We will build up our cooperation with the government alongside development partners and the donor community. We will work for green, inclusive growth and a more resilient economy.”
Müller noted that “South Sudan’s accession to UNIDO is a signal to the global community that, above all, sustainable industrialization is a key aspiration, especially for least developed countries.”
During the Fifth United Nations Conference on the LDCs, held from 5-9 March 2023 in Doha, Qatar, Müller called for a new, better deal for LDCs, based on stronger global solidarity, to end hunger, address climate change and make supply chains fair.
UNIDO is currently formulating a new operational strategy for the LDCs 2022–2031, in line with the Doha Programme of Action, to support its Member States.
This is a positive development for South Sudan and for the continent of Africa as a whole. UNIDO’s support will help South Sudan to achieve its development goals and to build a more sustainable and prosperous future for its people.
