BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5
By Ilkin Seyfaddini – Trend:
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a significant recession of the global economy including the countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA), Chief of the Europe and Central Asia Division of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Jacek Cukrowski told Trend.
"In order to contain the spread of the virus and alleviate its consequences, the majority of the countries of the region have introduced bold containment measures ranging from lockdowns, border closures and travel restrictions to school closures and bans on public gatherings," he said.
Cukrowski noted that these measures come at high economic costs while justified from a health policy point of view.
"The economic impact of COVID-19 depends – amongst others – on the nature and duration of virus containment policies and measures, as well as on the structure of an economy. According to the World Bank, Uzbekistan’s transition to a market economy slows down as the COVID-19 health crisis expands into an economic crisis affecting growth and job creation in tourism, horticulture and services. In addition, foreign investment and remittances are projected to fall significantly," he noted.
"UNIDO is fully prepared to assist the government, companies and citizens of Uzbekistan to fight COVID-19 and to rebuild economy and industries in the years to come," stressed the chief of the Europe and Central Asia Division of UNIDO.
The organization’s response will be structured in three phases, Cukrowski said.
"In the immediate and short-term, UNIDO provides concrete support to the global emergency response. This implies a range of initiatives, including designing new technical cooperation projects or re-calibrating existing ones in agreement with relevant donors and counterparts, as well as facilitating sharing of best practices," Cukrowski added.
He also noted that UNIDO may also provide support to manufacturing capacity and related supply chains in the framework of health and humanitarian assistance.
"In the short and mid-term, UNIDO provides policy advice to governments and the global community on what is needed to reactivate production and supply chains and for broader inclusive and sustainable economic recovery in the aftermath of the emergency. In mid and long-term, the approach includes refocusing of UNIDO’s integrated service packages to support an accelerated recovery from the economic crisis," Cukrowski added.
According to him, UNIDO will focus on a selected range of key services within its mandate as well as on addressing the specific needs of the most affected groups, including women and youth.
"The organization's UNIDO COVID-19-specific service packages will be prepared on the basis of thorough assessments of Uzbekistan’s needs to provide support during the distinct phases," she pointed out.
UNIDO is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. Its mandate is to promote and accelerate inclusive and sustainable industrial development in Member States. This mandate is fully recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particular in SDG 9, which calls to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”.
UNIDO provides a variety of technical cooperation services to promote increased access to energy for productive uses while at the same time supporting patterns of energy use by industry that mitigate climate change and are otherwise environmentally sustainable. This involves promoting industrial energy efficiency and the adoption of renewable energy sources in the industrial sector, enhancing energy access, particularly in rural areas to promote productive activities as a major contribution to reducing rural poverty, and championing industrial energy perspectives in the global debates about energy-related sustainability issues.
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