UNIDO Forging Ahead - milestones achieved 2006 - 2007

 

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FOREWORD BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL
After my first biennium at the helm of UNIDO and as we move into the 2007 session of the General Conference, it is time to take stock. What have we achieved together? Where does UNIDO stand today? What has improved? Where have new accents been set and innovations introduced? Have the expectations of Member States and staff been met? While it is not for me to answer the last question, I want to put forward in this booklet what I consider to be significant milestones.
The four chapters represent the priorities I stated in my vision statement “Towards Pro-Poor Sustainable Industrial Development: A Shared Vision for UNIDO”, and at the outset of my term: consolidating and deepening the reform process; enhancing programmes through continuity, quality and growth; advancing UN reform and building strategic partnerships; and increasing visibility.
The spirit and approach of this booklet are simple. An attempt is made to show in as transparent and concise a manner as possible the commitments I have expressed, the actions that have been taken and the concrete results that have been achieved. This is the very essence of results-based management to which I fully subscribe.
The reader will notice a number of common threads running through the various dimensions of UNIDO’s work in 2006-2007, whether it applies to managerial innovations such as the new field mobility policy, new programme initiatives like the network of South-South industrial cooperation centres, our contribution to UN reform, or indeed my interaction with staff at large.
In all of my efforts so far, first and foremost I have encouraged and fostered teamwork, empowerment and a heightened sense of responsibility and accountability – the latter indeed being two sides of the same coin. Second, I have stressed the need for UNIDO to be action-oriented with a strong emphasis on partnerships. Finally, I have insisted on building bridges and consensus, be it with staff or with Member States.
The renewed agenda of UN system-wide coherence has called for our close attention, and we at UNIDO have made well-recognized and visible contributions. The time and energy devoted to this initiative are well invested as long as we realize that process improvements and reduced transaction costs are not goals in themselves. They are justified only to the extent that they enable the UN system to deliver more effective services in a more efficient manner to Member States. This is why we have geared our contributions to challenges of programme development, be it in poverty reduction, trade capacity building or energy for development.
As of next year, I will have the privilege of chairing the UN Energy Group based on a mandate received from the UN Chief Executives Board at its October 2007 session in New York. I appreciate the confidence thus bestowed upon me and will exercise this function with a view to making a difference that is visible and measurable. Lack of access to energy both creates and perpetuates poverty. This is why I firmly believe that climate change needs to be addressed within the development space and not as a separate challenge.
The past two years have been an intense experience marked by progress in many fields. It is with a sense of pride that we should look upon what we have achieved together. UNIDO is going from strength to strength and today is a more inclusive and focused organization than ever before. At the same time, key performance indicators are moving upwards. Technical cooperation delivery during 2006-2007 is growing by 8 per cent relative to the previous biennium. Similarly, the volume of funds mobilized for future implementation is further increasing to a record high of approximately US$ 235 million at the end of 2007. The collection rate of assessed contributions from Member States meanwhile reached an unprecedented 94 per cent in 2006 and is expected to remain at a similarly high level in 2007.
However, in this era of globalization and ever-changing economies, we must not remain complacent. Reform is a process, not an event. We need to remain at the forefront of change and improvement. Working side-by-side with our Member States we can take advantage of evolving opportunities, and in this spirit of partnership, explore ways to rise to new challenges.
Kandeh K. Yumkella,
Director-General