About the LAC Programme

Mission and Vision of the Programme

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Programme of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is in charge of promoting sustainable industrial development in the LAC region. Acting as a catalyst, UNIDO helps generating national economic wealth and raising industrial capacity (by serving as a global forum for industrial development and as a provider of technical cooperation services). To this end, we harness the joint forces of governments and private sectors to foster competitive industrial production, develop international industrial partnerships and promote socially equitable and environmentally friendly industrial production.

The activities feature continuous communication on all levels, partnership and strategic alliances and apply the concept of results-based management. The core competences and resources available in the LAC region provide a solid platform for the establishment of a regional consultative mechanism. As such, promoting and facilitating South-South cooperation in the LAC region is the overall intention.

The objective of the LAC Programme is to optimize the technical cooperation delivered to the LAC countries. Consensual identification, formulation, implementation and follow-up of technical cooperation activities, including resource mobilization are key ingredients to the success of the Programme. As such, and by enhancing UNIDO’s three thematic priorities -Poverty Reduction through Productive Activities, Trade Capacity Building and Energy and Environment- the organization and the LAC Programme contribute actively to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

In the short-term, the Programme is currently aiming at implementing and achieving the Strategic Regional Program for the LAC countries (2006-2009) and setting up a technical assistance programme per country, known as the one country – one project approach.

Specific topics of our regions:

• Poverty (in particular in rural areas)
• SME development and product diversification
• Upgrading of productive and local structures as a way to mitigate migration problems
• Improvement of export-orientated policies and technical-productive initiatives (hence, shifting to more sophisticated technologies)
• Energy and environment
• Largely agro-based economies and small or micro production units
• Promoting investment and strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs
• Need to strengthen trade capacity structures and related bodies through improved quality-related services
• In some case small markets, often obsolete technology and very high energy and transportation costs
• Introduction of more energy-efficient technologies and renewable sources of energy as well as improving competitiveness of small industries in key sectors, such as agro-industry and tourism