General Conference, Eighth session

Daily Highlights: 3 December 1999

Morning plenary meeting

Coming to Vienna to address the closure of the session, Senegalese President Abdou Diouf advocated "a new form of cooperation and action regrouping the agencies and and organizations for economic development around the UN Secretariat. Because of the particular interest industrialization represents for the developing world as a way to eradicate poverty, UNIDO would benefit from the support of its sister organizations in this new institutional framework translating into concrete actions the will of the international community to support the development of Africa". Photo: President Abdou Diouf addressing the Conference

The crucial role of industrialization in promoting economic development and alleviating poverty was reaffirmed by the General Conferenc. High on the agenda was backing for the Organization's new approach to delivering packages of integrated industrial services tailored to the needs of individual client countries. To fund these packages, Member States called for increased voluntary contributions from donors as well as cost-sharing by recipient countries. They approved the commitment of .6 million in unutilized balances from the bienniums 1992-93 and 1996-97 to help pay for the integrated programmes, subject to individual Member States' concurrence. During the Conference, voluntary donations were announced by Austria and the United Kingdom, which came in addition to some million pledged before the gathering. The Conference went on to approve net appropriations of 2.9 million for UNIDO's regular budget for 2000-01.

The 26 Members of the 53-nation Industrial Development Board, elected for a four-year term, were Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Colombia, Croatia, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Tunisia and United Kingdom.

The 27 Members of Programme and Budget Committee, elected for a two-year term, were Angola, Argentina, Austria, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Sudan, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey and United Kingdom.