Overview

UNIDO is responsible within the UN system for promoting industrialisation in the developing world.  It was set up in 1966 and became a specialized agency of the United Nations in 1985. It maintains offices in 43 developing countries across the globe, of which 17 are in sub-Saharan Africa. As a technical cooperation agency, UNIDO designs and implements programmes to support the industrial development efforts of its clients. It also offers tailor-made specialized support for programme development. Its main thematic priorities are poverty reduction through productive activities, trade capacity building, and energy and the environment.

Statistical Activities

UNIDO collects, compiles and disseminates world wide industrial data, both for general use and to support the Organization’s own research programme with reliable and internationally comparable statistics. Based on its activities UNIDO publishes the International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics. It also contributes to the development of statistical methods and standards in close cooperation with UN Statistics Division and other international organizations.

As many developing countries lack the technical capacity to produce the timely industrial statistics that UNIDO requires, it provides support through technical assistance. The major areas of UNIDO intervention includes the creation and updating of appropriate and relevant business registers,   the planning, design and execution of industrial censuses and surveys and the development of short term economic indicators such as an index of industrial production. Developing and transitional countries that are UNIDO member states are eligible for this support.

Countries requiring assistance should make a formal request to UNIDO. UNIDO will then assess the request and, if appropriate, develop a project proposal in close consultation with the requesting authority. Once the project is approved and finding is ensured, UNIDO sends a group of experts to work with NSO staff within the scope of activities specified in the project document. A standard industrial statistics project includes the system design for the business register, software development, hardware and software installation, industrial survey design, training of the national staffs in statistical and computational methods and other relevant activities. The main output of these activities is a developed national industrial statistics database and related methodological reports and documentation.

Validated July 2010