Side event to UNIDO's 9th Ministerial Conference of the Least Developed Countries
Background
How can LDCs build back better their industries to prevent them from future shocks such as the pandemic? And further, how can they foster inclusive and sustainable industrial development that corresponds to their resource endowment and local capacities catering to societal needs, such as generating income and employment for a broader base of their populations?
Expected outcomes
This webinar will bring together experts and practitioners in industrial policy to discuss the future of manufacturing in the Least Developed Countries in the post-COVID era. A keynote shall provide an overview of the impact of the pandemic on LDC industries and some of the reactions of LDC industries in terms of less-distant sourcing and promoting local production. In the subsequent panel discussions, panelists will provide anecdotal evidence for adequate policy responses to mitigate COVID-19 impacts on LDC industries via the development of local industries. The moderator will then engage with participants on a debate on the effects of disruptions in global trade on LDC industries and how LDC industries should be supported by policies to better absorb disruptions in the future.
The side event will contribute to the crafting of policies that foster structural transformation in industries in LDCs in the post-COVID era. It can inform the crafting of resolutions on how to build industries forward differently in LDCs after COVID-19.
Speakers
Welcome remarks: Ms. Miniva Chibuye, Economic Affairs Officer, UN-OHRLLS
Opening: Mr. Hiroshi Kuniyoshi, Deputy to the Director-General, UNIDO
Keynote "COVID effects on industrial production and trade in LDCs: Some data evidence": Mr. Frank Hartwich and Mr. Christoph Hammer, Research and Industrial Policy, UNIDO
Panelists
- Mr. Kitti Settha Pandita Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of Cambodia
- Ms. Maimuna Kibenga Tarishi, Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the United Nations Offices at Geneva and Vienna
- Mr. Rolf Traeger, Chief, LDC section, UNCTAD
- Ms. Eunice G. Kamwendo, Director of ECA Subregional Office for Southern Africa (ECA SRO SA)
- Mr. Hassim Amiraly, President of the Union of Malagasy Industries
