| UNIDO to hold 12th General Conference in Vienna |
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| Monday,November 12,2007 Posted: 22:00 BJT(00 GMT) |
| From:UNIDO Article type:Reproduced |
High-level representatives from UNIDO’s 172 Member States will gather in Vienna for the 12th Session of the UNIDO General Conference from 3-7 December 2007 to examine the role of industry and of UNIDO in a rapidly changing environment, focusing on the three thematic priorities of the Organization - “Poverty Reduction Through Productive Activities; “Trade Capacity-building”; and ”Environment and Energy”. It will also discuss UNIDO’s contribution in achieving a socially responsive, employment-generating and environmentally sustainable pattern of industrialization. The General Conference is the highest governing body of UNIDO and holds its regular session every two years to guide the work of the Organization.
The theme of the 12th General Conference is “Industrial Development in a Changing Global Landscape”. The meeting will bring together some 1,000 participants, including Heads of State and Government, Ministers and other government officials, senior representatives of other United Nations organizations, prominent figures from the business sector and civil society, as well as experts from research and academic institutions. Among the guests are Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the WTO, Jean-Michel Severino, Director of the French Development Agency, Poul Engberg-Pedersen, Director-General, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri and Cheick Diarra, Africa Chairman of Microsoft.
The General Conference will open with keynote addresses by Ursula Plassnik, Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, followed by high-level dialogues on “Wealth Creation for Poverty Reduction: The Role of Industry”, “Building Productive Capacities for Trade Competitiveness: Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)”, and “Green Industry: Promoting Growth and Protecting the Environment”. These will be followed by regional roundtables focusing on themes of specific interest to each of the regions. In addition, several side events and exhibits will be organized during the Conference.
The General Conference will take place at the Austria Centre, Bruno-Kreisky-Platz 1, 1220 Vienna, Austria. The provisional agenda and a tentative list of side-events are available at and . A working area for the media is foreseen. Media representatives intending to participate should fill the accreditation form available at and return it by fax or e-mail to the contact below. They should also present their valid press card and passport/ID on entering the conference premises. If arriving by car licence plate numbers should be provided on the accreditation form.
Before the General Conference UNIDO will also be convening a Least-Developed Countries (LDC) Ministerial Conference from 29 to 30 November, with the theme “How Aid for Trade can transform the economies of the least developed countries”.
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