Mobilization of international partnerships to accelerate the progress of LDCs towards graduation, including the promotion of investment and innovative financing for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), remains a crucial driver for the economic growth of LDCs. Driven by the needs of LDCs to mobilize resources for sustainable development and a smooth transition to the graduation from the LDC category, UNIDO’s ISID mandate places a great emphasis on investment promotion, including the facilitation of private financing. As highlighted in the UNIDO Operational Strategy 2022-2031 for LDCs, multi-stakeholder approaches aligned with national priorities can accelerate the investment promotion in LDCs and lead to the implementation of investment promotion regimes. These regimes rely on reinvigorated partnerships among all relevant stakeholders including the providers of official development assistance (ODA), foreign direct investments (FDI), private financing, portfolio investment, etc.

OBJECTIVES

The session will bring together experts and practitioners in partnership development and development finance, from the private sector, LDC governments and international organizations, to discuss opportunities for upscaling international partnerships and SME development in LDCs in the DPoA decade. The event aims to further foster a comprehensive and constructive discussion among experts that leads to actionable insights and recommendations for promoting SME development in LDCs through reinvigorated partnerships and informed policymaking. These discussions will emphasize the need to implement the investment promotion regime in LDCs, improve the scope of smooth transition measures for graduating countries as well as increase the availability of timely and reliable data. In addition, session two will place emphasis on the importance of the DPoA 6 focus area on “Mobilizing international solidarity, reinvigorated global partnerships and innovative tools and instruments: a march towards sustainable graduation” and its high relevance to the UNIDO’s ISID mandate.