In light of UNIDO's new mandate to promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development (ISID), adopted in December 2013 in Lima, UNIDO organized two ISID Forums in 2014. The first one, held in June, engaged Member States in a dialogue to formulate strategies and policies that promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

The event drew more than 300 participants and high-level delegations from around 70 countries, including researchers and senior economists.

The Forum provided a global platform for debate on how to operationalize strategies that promote inclusive and sustainable industrial development. Discussions reflected the diversity of experiences and views of Member States, as well as their understanding of both local and global interests.

Panellists agreed that governments play a vital role in supporting industrial development. They also asserted that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Collective actions through public-private partnerships were explored as an effective way of dealing with the provision of public goods, such as hard and soft infrastructure, and knowledge and information sharing.

Discussions regarding instruments for ISID circled around the creation of industrial parks, which cut across different development strategies. Industrial parks have been successfully used as a testing ground for new reforms, policies and approaches to improve the business environment, as demonstrated in many East Asian countries.

The key outcomes of the first Forum served as the foundation for a second Forum, aimed to pilot the development of innovative partnership business models to implement ISID strategies.