HLPF UNIDO Side event: A new era of industrial policies for accelerating achievements of SDGs

This side event of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development explored how a new era of SDG-oriented industrial policies could drive innovation, accelerate the green transition (SDG 13), enhance food security and transform agri-food systems (SDG 2), and reduce poverty (SDG 1) by increasing job opportunities, fostering sustainable supply chains, and opening new markets, particularly for developing countries.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) presented the main findings of its biennial flagship, the Industrial Development Report (IDR) 2024, "Turning Challenges into Sustainable Solutions: The New Era of Industrial Policy." Drawing on the latest available data, the report highlighted the crucial role of sustainable industrialization in advancing progress towards most of the SDGs, especially SDGs 1, 2, and 13. It introduced a new approach for assessing progress in the SDGs most closely linked to sustainable industrialization (SDGs 7, 8, and 9) and identified three crucial areas for action: clean energy, decent work, and innovation. The report’s main findings served as a foundation for discussions among experts and policymakers on how industrial policy could accelerate progress towards achieving the SDGs.
The event was organized jointly by UNIDO and the Permanent Missions of Austria and Ethiopia to the United Nations in New York, in their capacity as co-chairs of the Group of Friends of Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development.