Sustainable Industrialialisation

Image credit: Independent Online (IOL), South Afruca.

New Initiative to Fight COVID-19 with Information Technology

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – With support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations specialized agency for information ((ITU) are set to work with telecommunication companies to text people directly on their mobile phones with vital health messaging to help protect them from COVID-19.

These text messages, as part of the joint 'WHO-ITU Be initiative', will reach billions of people who are not in a position to connect to the internet for information, said a joint statement on April 20.

: J Nastranis; UN INSIDER; 21 April 2020

African Climate Groups Deplore Development Bank for Funding High-Risk Pipeline

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – A climate justice movement of over 100 major organizations in Africa and abroad has joined hands to press the African Development Bank (AfDB) to drop its support of an "exceptionally high-risk project" that threatens the livelihoods of millions of people in East Africa.

In a letter to the Bank President AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina, leaders of environmental and social groups from Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and South Africa, among others, warned that the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) posed global climate risks and environmental damage including harm to freshwater supplies and biodiversity in the region.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 14 April 2020

Photo: President Trump participates in a signing ceremony for a two trillion dollar coronavirus relief bill in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on March 27, 2020. Credit: Pool/ABACA/ABACA/PA Images

Our Economic System is on Life Support – But Who are We Really Saving?

Viewpoint by Laurie Macfarlane*

This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

LONDON (IDN) – In recent weeks governments around the world have injected extraordinary sums of money into the economy to support businesses and households in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the UK, the government has committed to paying up to 80 percent of the wages of workers impacted by the outbreak (subject to a cap of 2,500 pounds per month) and has provided 330 billion pounds of financial support for businesses. Similar measures have been announced across Europe.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 02 April 2020

A ‘Green’ Message Shakes Up the Industry at Mining Confab

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – After years of defending dirty extractive industries such as the mining of coal, large mining companies seemed to have switched sides and joined the Greens, or so it seemed at the African Mining Indaba held from February 3-6 in South Africa.

At the Indaba, the continent’s biggest gathering of one of its most vital industries, the companies appeared less combative than in years past. Among the highlights of the conference was a statement by Mark Cutifani, head of Anglo American, a multinational company based in Johannesburg, South Africa and London.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 04 February 2020

Africa Forum Urges Investors to Support Inclusive Development

By Bernhard Schell

CAIRO (IDN) – “I stand here on behalf of the United Nations system and reaffirm our strong commitment to the member states and the people of Africa,” Secretary-General António Guterres told the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU), adding: “I strongly believe Africa is one of the greatest forces for good in our world.”

: Bernhard Schell; THE WORLD; Africa; 02 December 2019

Photo: Germany and UNIDO reinforce partnership through strategic talks. Credit: UNIDO.

Strategic Talks Reinforce UNIDO Partnership with Germany

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – Germany and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have agreed to strengthen their partnership towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). During high-level strategic talks in Berlin, hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) on November 26-27, Germany and UNIDO underlined the importance of each other as partners.

: Jutta Wolf; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 01 December 2019

Photo: Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi, venue of the UNIDO General Conference November 3-7, 2019.

UNIDO Conference to Boost UAE as a Global Hub for the 4th Industrial Revolution

By Nour Salman, Emirates News Agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI (IDN-INPS) – The UAE capital is set to host the 18th General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, UNIDO, with the participation of 800 ministers, officials and representatives from 170 member states, revealed Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry.

The UAE Minister of Energy and Industry held a press briefing detailing the agenda of the general conference, which will take place from November 3-7, 2019 at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

: Africa & ME Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Industrialisation; 06 October 2019

Gunnar Myrdal Went Wrong with His ‘Asian Drama’

Viewpoint by Deepak Nayyar

The transformative experience of the last five decades shows that policymakers should approach development with a diagnostic mind and a healthy scepticism of magic wands, silver bullets, and universal prescriptions, writes Deepak Nayyar, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. The following text is based on his input into a three-day global conference on ‘Transforming Economies for Better Jobs’ from 11 to 13 September 2019 co-hosted by UNU-WIDER and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 11 September 2019

Photo: Brass and Stainless Steel Metal Tool. Credit: Pixabay

3D Printing Ushers in A New Era With Industry 4.0

By J W Jackie

RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – 3D printing is a mode for construction that is continuing to break out and pervade through numerous industries. Forbes reported that in 2019 80 percent of enterprises claim 3D printing is allowing them to innovate faster, reducing costs for production and allowing for greater flexibility of their products’ design.

On the one hand, this developing technology permits the freedom to formulate complex geometric figures free from the restraint of machine or injection moulding. On the other, it is faced with limits in the form of small build chambers lofts and restricted resource compatibility.

: Admin; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Industrialisation; 29 June 2019

Photo: High level participants and representatives from the least developed countries following the opening session of the Global Conference on Scaling-Up Energy Access and Finance in the Least Developed Countries on May 30. Credit: UN-OHRLLS.

Boosting Energy Access and Finance in Poorest Countries

Viewpoint by Youba Sokona

The following are extensive extracts from keynote remarks by Youba Sokona, South Centre's Senior Adviser on Sustainable Development, at the Global Conference on Scaling-up Energy Access and Finance in Least Developed Countries in Beijing, China. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) and the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO) organised the conference with the support of the UN system on May 30-31, 2019.