Director-General/Executive Director
(To be checked against delivery)
Madame Chair,
Director General Muller,
Colleagues,
It is my pleasure to join you today for the signing of a new MoU between UNODC and UNIDO.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ambassador Laura Gil, Chair of the Group of 77 and Permanent Representative of Colombia, for hosting this event as well as Director General Gerd Müller for his partnership.
The work of UNIDO is a driving force towards sustainable, inclusive industrialization.
And at UNODC, we know that sustainable development, justice, and rule of law are interconnected and mutually reinforcing.
We are very pleased to celebrate and extend our collaboration with UNIDO today.
It is a partnership that can support the aspirations of G77 Member States, and all Member States, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
We share a commitment to working as “one UN”, an approach we need now more than ever before, as challenges grow, and resources shrink.
Together, we have identified several priority areas for cooperation, in line with Agenda 2030.
And providing alternative livelihoods is at the forefront.
Alternative development is a pillar of drug control policy, but these projects are about so much more than switching crops.
They also reduce hunger and poverty, two priorities I share with DG Müller, and enable sustainable techniques, encouraging environmental protection, while providing income for farmers and building resilient communities.
UNODC brings decades of alternative development experience to this partnership.
This year alone, UNODC has helped increase the incomes of 110,000 farming families in seven countries through cash crop diversification projects, giving them viable alternative to illicit drug cultivation.
In Afghanistan, we work with innovative indoor cultivation technologies, including solar panels and low-waste irrigation systems.
And in the Andean Region and in Southeast Asia, we enable the processing and packaging of coffee and cocoa on-site at farms and in local communities.
With the support of the local coffee industry, beneficiaries have been able to produce premium export coffee in Bolivia, Colombia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar.
Throughout these projects, we place great emphasis on the economic empowerment of women in rural communities, by reaching households headed by women, and by training women to be involved in production, and also in organizational and business decisions, and this is how we reduce violence against women with true economic empowerment.
UNIDO’s mandate and expertise on industrial development can bolster these efforts.
Working with UNIDO on agroindustry, alternative development projects will become more profitable and sustainable.
I hope that our joint work will help link small producers with larger industries, to operate as part of a sustainable value chain.
And I hope that our efforts will empower the women who form the backbone of so many communities, and will provide work for young people looking for opportunities.
UNODC and UNIDO are already working together with positive impact.
In Colombia, I am happy to share that UNIDO and UNODC are now collaborating to provide technical assistance for 1,900 families to develop home gardens and alternative livelihoods.
This includes supporting the business plans, branding, and marketing of the small farmers.
We are also exploring important opportunities for joint impact beyond the replacement of illicit crops.
In West Africa, UNIDO and UNODC are discussing projects to create job opportunities and improve digital access and financial inclusion, particularly for women and youth, in hotspots for organised crime and violence.
And as urbanisation and rapid industrialization increase vulnerability among young people, we look forward to further engaging with UNIDO to build resilience and reduce drug demand and crime.
Furthermore, we are discussing cooperation on the issue of controlled medicines, to strengthen supply chains and prevent diversion, while promoting local manufacturing in low- and middle-income countries to ensure that such medicines are available and accessible to those who need them.
In all these examples, our joint programming relies on UNIDO’s expertise and innovation in value chain development, creating employment opportunities, circular economy methods, and so much more.
Ladies and gentlemen,
If we hope to rescue the Sustainable Development Goals and create a more just and prosperous future, we must join forces and use all of the tools available.
We welcome this partnership and look forward to charting this future path together.
Thank you.
