VIENNA, 8 June 2020 - The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has developed a new approach which will provide targeted support to national governments to restructure their industrial sector in order to transform and adapt to the changing realities. The goal is to meet national, regional and international needs in the post-COVID-19 recovery phase.

 

Drawing on its longstanding experience with industrial upgrading and modernization of enterprises and institutions, UNIDO’s Department of Digitalization, Technology and Innovation will use the COVID-19 Industrial Recovery Programme (CIRP) as a tool to support the sustainable and inclusive recovery of the industrial sector and mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic effects through increased innovation.

 

This CIRP offers a phased approach to industrial recovery that is primarily focused on supporting least developed, low-income and lower middle-income countries. It consists of five phases: (i) assessment and analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the industrial sector, (ii) consensus building, (iii) developing a national industrial recovery plan, (iv) piloting national industrial sector recovery, and (v) replicating pilot success to achieve national industrial sector recovery.

 

“The CIRP is strategically aligned and synergized with UNIDO’s COVID-19 response framework, aiming at preparing and containing, responding and adapting, and recovering and transforming. The extent to which new digital technologies can be used to reconfigure existing manufacturing processes of local enterprises will be fully examined and considered to allow them to become more effective and competitive players in nationally important value chains,” said Bernardo Calzadilla-Sarmiento, Managing Director of the Directorate of Digitalization, Technology and Agribusiness.

To ensure a successful national industrial recovery, the implementation of the CIRP will require a strong partnership between the national government, UNIDO and development finance institutions.

 

Moreover, since it is unrealistic to envisage that every nation can produce every product or service deemed as critical for the post-COVID-19 recovery phase, a strong regional dimension will be essential. UNIDO supports regional organizations to develop and implement appropriate regional industrial recovery plans comparable to those to be developed by national governments (and aligned and coordinated with such national industrial recovery plans), so as to ensure the development of intra-regional value chains of strategic importance.

 

 

Read the CIRP brochure in English here

Read the CIRP brochure in French here

 

 

For more information, contact:

 

Rafik Feki, Industrial Development Officer, UNIDO Department of Digitalization, Technology and Innovation

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