Russia has proved to be a major donor to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and is gradually boosting its cooperation with the agency on various international projects, UNIDO's Director of External Relations Kai Bethke told Sputnik
VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th March, 2020) Russia has proved to be a major donor to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and is gradually boosting its cooperation with the agency on various international projects, UNIDO's Director of External Relations Kai Bethke told Sputnik.
UNIDO is a specialized UN agency tasked with promotion of inclusive and sustainable industrial development worldwide, specifically in the underdeveloped and developing nations.
"Russia is a very active donor. We have seen in the recent past that Russia is increasing its efforts to cooperate with us even more. Since 2008, Russia has made funds available for more than $29 million, which is very significant in the overall context of the organization. Currently, we do projects in about nine countries, some of them in the region of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, but also in Ethiopia and in Cuba," Bethke said.
UNIDO's cooperation with the Russian private sector has also been on the rise lately, the UN executive noted and went on to express hope that Russia's financial contribution to the agency would increase in the foreseeable future.
UNIDO and Russia has worked together on modernizing traditional textile industry in Tajikistan, production of agro-chemical and agriculture machinery in Cuba. Russia has funded the development of UNIDO's Programme for Country Partnership in Kyrgyzstan.
UNIDO's work with Russia in the country� itself is focused on the energy at Russia's request, Bethke said. In 2018, UNIDO completed a project on industrial energy efficiency in Russia.
"As you can see, there is very strong portfolio and what we see from the Russian side is much more interest in getting further involved in working not only with Unido in other countries of interest to the Russian international cooperation, and with Unido in the country itself actually," Bethke said.
In February, Russia and UNIDO held a meeting devoted to the progress of their joint projects. During the talks, Moscow reiterated its readiness to increase cooperation with the UN agency.�
