Vienna, 14 January 2020. The Permanent Representative, Ambassador Alessandro Cortese, and the Director General of UNIDO, LI Yong, signed the funding agreements for two new projects aimed respectively at supporting the tomato value chain in Egypt and at promoting investments in Iraq, with a total contribution of 4.5 million euros allocated by the Italian Development Cooperation.
The project in Egypt aims to create employment opportunities, in particular for youth, through the establishment of a Pilot Training and Service Center, which will strengthen the productivity and the quality of the tomato value chain. Egypt is the world’s fifth largest producer of fresh tomatoes, but only 3 – 4% of the tomato crop is processed. This UNIDO’s initiative will support this important sector by developing new industrial processes and innovative products.
The project in Iraq is aimed at promoting new investment opportunities both at national and international level by providing technical assistance services for both the public and the private sector. This project will build upon the positive outcomes of an initiative to support small and medium size enterprises, carried out in Iraq by UNIDO and the ITPO Rome over the past years and funded by the Italian Development Cooperation.
During the signing ceremony, Ambassador Cortese highlighted how both projects well represent the longstanding cooperation between
UNIDO and Italy with the involvement of the Italian private sector, while contributing to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.
UNIDO Director General Li expressed his appreciation for the important financial and political support provided by Italy, as the largest
governmental donor in 2018. Director General Li also highlighted that Italy has always been an effective advocate of inclusive and sustainable industrial development and of the 2030 Agenda.
Click here to read UNIDO’s press release.
