Statement by H.E. Mr. Mitsuru Kitano, Permanent Representative, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan at the 43rd Session of the Industrial Development Board for the UNIDO

Agenda item 3. Annual Report of the Director-General for 2014 ;
 
Mr. President,

I would like to begin by congratulating you on your election as President of the forty-third session of the Industrial Development Board. I am sure that this session will be successful under your able leadership. I would also like to thank the outgoing President, H.E. Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo of South Africa, together with his Bureau, for their devoted work.
 
Mr. President,

Japan commends UNIDO’s policy engagement in promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development (ISID) and operationalizing the Lima Declaration, as well as its strong commitment towards formulating the post 2015 development agenda. Japan shares UNIDO’s belief in the role of industrialization in poverty reduction and economic development. We highly value the industrial development support provided by the Organization to its Member States.
 
Japan praises UNIDO’s efforts in aligning its operational services with the ISID mandate. In this connection, Japan notes with satisfaction that UNIDO’s continued fund mobilization activities have led to a notable result for the year 2014, with the overall volume of voluntary contributions for services towards Member States reaching 191.3 million USD.
 
In this context, I would like to briefly touch upon our recent contributions towards UNIDO’s activities. In the past 5 consecutive years, the Government of Japan has funded technical cooperation projects in African countries through UNIDO worth over 30 million USD in addition to its contribution to the regular budget.  These projects provide vulnerable groups such as youth and women with vocational training in order to increase their employment chances and enhance local economic development. The long-term aim of these projects is to raise and diversify the population’s income, and promote self-reliance for these vulnerable communities. In the past years we have expanded our assistance and we are now also supporting communities in the Middle East.  
 

Furthermore, we have continued to cooperate with UNIDO in the field of energy and environment. Japan allocated over 10 million USD to activities in this area, including Low Carbon Low Emission Technology Transfer projects in Ethiopia, Kenya and India. These projects aim to increase access to sustainable energy by using low-head micro hydropower mini grids, and to promote rapid deployment and dissemination of our low carbon technologies in developing countries. We are pleased that Japanese technology and technical know-how are contributing towards reaching these goals.

 
This March, I visited two African countries, Ethiopia and Kenya with a view to deepen my understanding and knowledge about UNIDO activities. The trip reconfirmed my notion of UNIDO’s strength and expertise in providing industrial development assistance. In my perspective, the underlying factors for the Organization’s success are (1) its proximity to the private sector, (2) its role as a platform for donor cooperation enabling targeted partnerships and (3) its strength in recipient countries’ key sectors such as food processing, Agro-industry, renewable energy, and capacity building of SMEs.
 
Furthermore, I have the pleasure to share that the Director-General successfully visited Japan last month to engage in high level policy dialogues giving direction to our future partnership. We hope to expand our collaboration based on the viewpoints gained during his visit.
 
Mr. President,
 

Japan welcomes the consensus reached at the last PBC on the amount designated for the Programme and Budgets 2016-2017. We commend the Director-General for his excellent leadership, we also praise the Bureau for its devoted work in achieving this outcome. Due to the time difference between Vienna and our capital, Japan reserved its position on the Conclusion 2015/4 (Programme and Budget 2016-2017) during the Committee’s session. However, we supported the decisions of the PBC and joined in the consensus.
 

We have taken the view that the size of the next biennium budget should be realistic, and accommodates both UNIDO’s need for resources in order to deliver services to its Member States, and the decrease in assessed contributions. The budget also should reflects the Director General’s dedication to the ongoing reform, and qualifies as a measure to reverse the trend of withdrawal of Member States. We welcome the consensus reached on the budget.
 

Now that the budget is formulated, Japan continues to call upon UNIDO to prioritize its activities, and pursue its management reform with the aim to further increase the Organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. We rely on the Director-General’s strong leadership in this regard.
 

Mr. President,

 
Now, let me touch upon some of agendas for future steps.

 
2015 is a significant year for UNIDO since it is in this year that the international community is to formulate the post-2015 development agenda and we are to enhance our efforts to address global development challenges.

 
Japan hopes that field structure adjustments will lead to a more optimal utilization of available resources, and that synergies will be created as a result of UNIDO’s involvement in the UNRC system. We also trust that UNIDO’s reform will produce favorable outcomes when it comes to delivering not only a large number of projects, but also ensuring their continuous high quality.

 
In order to maintain the quality of technical cooperation services, a sound financial base grounded on the regular budget of the Organization is essential. Japan thus joins the Secretariat in urging Member States and former Member States that have not yet paid their assessed contributions to do so without delay, in the interest of all involved.

 
I would like to conclude by reaffirming Japan’s ongoing commitment to the Organization and its activities. Japan remains a supporter of UNIDO’s role in industrial development, and we continue to offer our constructive partnership to the Organization in identifying and formulating the best way forwardand securing capacities to fulfil the mandates of the Lima Declaration and the post 2015 development agenda.
 

Thank you.