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From left: Farrukh Alimdjanov, Industrial Development Officer, Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development, Division of Digital Transformation and AI Strategies; Milena Rud, Associate Expert, Division of Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Strategies; Ana Paula Nishio de Sousa, Chief, Digital Transformation and AI Strategies; Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General, the Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development; David Kusuma, WDO Senator; Bertrand Derome, WDO Managing Director; Hicham Lahlou, WDO Regional Advisor and Founder of Africa Design Academy.

Vienna (Austria), 28 November 2023 – UNIDO and World Design Organization (WDO)® signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signaling their commitment to reinforce collaboration for the advancement of innovative and sustainable design solutions in developing countries and economies in transition. The MoU aims to utilize relevant expertise to enhance understanding and application of intangible economy tools, such as industrial design, marketing and branding. The beneficiaries of these efforts will include industry specialists, entrepreneurs, mentors, trainers, policymakers, and other interested stakeholders.

The MoU signing ceremony, held as part of the 20th session of the UNIDO General Conference, signifies the commitment of both organizations to work hand in hand to identify opportunities in technical assistance projects, organization of global fora and conferences, know-how and expertise exchange for advancing sustainable industrial design solutions. The ultimate goal of such joint initiatives is to enhance competitiveness and innovation, leveraging industrial design as an asset conducive to increased value added, improved economic performance, circular economy and long-term sustainability.

The collaboration between UNIDO and WDO will encompass key initiatives that integrate design thinking into industrial processes, fostering environmentally friendly, socially inclusive, and economically viable development approaches that ensure long-term sustainability across diverse countries and industries. Additionally, the partnership will leverage global cultural diversity and heritage to inspire innovative industrial design, aiming to create products and services that raise economic profile of the country of their origin while contributing to the preservation of locally available know-how and unique cultural identities. Another aspect of this collaboration involves the facilitation of experience exchange and knowledge transfer between UNIDO and WDO networks. This will involve organizing workshops, seminars, and conferences to promote dialogue, share best practices, and enhance the capabilities of professionals and institutions in the realms of sustainable industrial development and design.

Mr. Ciyong Zou, Deputy to the Director General and Managing Director of UNIDO, stated: “The collaboration with World Design Organization aligns with our vision to foster innovation through the adoption of knowledge-intensive business models and skills among SMEs and industry professionals that are essential in the era of intense competitive pressures. The partnership between UNIDO and WDO draws upon the extensive global expertise of both organizations in the field of industrial design. This collaboration will strengthen vital capacity-building aspects of UNIDO technical assistance projects, fostering job creation, promoting exports, and fortifying developing countries against the diverse challenges of navigating global markets. This will be achieved by infusing intellectual value derived from innovative design solutions into industrial and manufacturing processes, ensuring that these nations remain dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable participants in the global economic landscape”.

“As the international voice for industrial design, WDO is committed to strengthening our relationship with other world bodies supporting design-led transformation. This new partnership with UNIDO will build upon years of collaboration between our two organizations to further our shared priorities in the areas of sustainable industrial development and design,” stated former WDO President David Kusuma. “Together, we look forward to leveraging our collective resources, knowledge and expertise to promote the impact of design-driven innovation across diverse global contexts.”

In their previous collaboration, UNIDO shared insights from its technical assistance projects under the theme of “Design for Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development” at WDO’s 2021 event ‘Let’s talk: diversity’. Additionally, Mr. David Kusuma, WDO’s 2022-2023 President, participated as a speaker during UNIDO’s ‘Brand Global Summit 2021: Brands for Change’ co-organized by UNIDO and European Brand Institute, emphasizing the role of innovative design in creating robust development strategies and fostering resilience of SMEs and industries.

The MoU between UNIDO and WDO is a notable step towards fostering long-term cooperation to harness the full potential of industrial design, cultural diversity and heritage to build capacities for intellectual value-added products and services addressing the evolving regional needs of UNIDO Member States.

For additional information, please contact:

Mr. Farrukh Alimdjanov

f.alimdjanov@unido.org