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UNIDO is committed to addressing gender inequalities in industry and to harnessing women’s full potential as leaders and economic agents of change. Enhancing the role of women as drivers of poverty reduction and recognizing the link between gender equality and safeguarding the environment all promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and directly contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Goals, in particular SDG 9 and SDG 5.

UNIDO has a strong track record of intergovernmental documents, decisions and policy based on gender and ISID. Member States took note of the UNIDO Strategy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 2020–2023 (GC.18/15) in the Abu Dhabi Declaration (GC.18/Res.1), and resolutions on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women were adopted at the last four UNIDO General Conferences (GC.16/Res.3, GC.17/Res.3, GC.18/Res.2) These resolutions were based on implementation reports to Member States on the respective UNIDO gender strategies in place at the time of reporting.

At the global normative level, the Organization is actively involved in creating and supporting events, meetings and discussions that champion gender equality and the empowerment of women in industry. One example is the annual Vienna Discussion Forum organized by UNIDO, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Finland, Norway and Sweden, on gender equality in the context of the SDGs. Insights and policy recommendations produced by the Forum contribute to this global policy sphere, helping to raise awareness and drive further action on gender equality.

UNIDO has also developed a wide range of research tools, knowledge documents and capacity-building activities on the interlinkages of gender and ISID that external stakeholders can benefit from. These publications and training activities are continuously expanded and updated and constitute important avenues to increase awareness on gender issues in industry – with a reciprocal influence on the intergovernmental policy sphere.

Noteworthy publications include the UNIDO guide on integrating gender dimensions into industrial development initiatives, a report on “Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development: The Gender Dimension", and a toolkit to enhance the quality of industrial policies in terms of gender equality in manufacturing. These publications are complimented by a set of opinion pieces highlighting the importance of gender equality and the empowerment of women in several areas, including the cleantech sector and industrial statistics as well as post-COVID 19 industrial recovery.

The Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Office will continue to support UNIDO Member States in intergovernmental policy-making on gender and ISID, including in the development of a new UNIDO gender strategy 2024-27. It will also expand capacity building and training for industrial stakeholders on the linkages between gender and ISID and grow its research and knowledge portfolio through publications and articles.