28 November 2016 — Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Ambassador Maria Zeneida Angara-Collinson was elected President of the 44th Session of the UNIDO Industrial Development Board (IDB) at the Vienna International Center held from November 23 to 24.
The 44th Session of the IDB was held against the background of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of UNIDO. At the opening plenary, Ambassador Angara-Collinson paid tribute to the late Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs and two-term UNIDO Director General Domingo L. Siazon, Jr. She requested the ministers and representatives of the 150 Member States of UNIDO to observe a moment of silence.
The 44th Session of the Industrial Development Board adopted many key decisions, including the strengthening of UNIDO’s role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; the assurance that the readjustment in UNIDO’s field policy and network would not negatively affect the delivery of UNIDO’s technical assistance services; and the agreement to codify guidelines governing the applications of NGOs for consultative status.
It was also agreed that an informal group of “Friends of the President of the IDB” would be formed to help encourage Member States to continue supporting UNIDO. Several delegations lauded Ambassador Angara-Collinson’s leadership and efficient management of the meeting.
Currently, UNIDO has four ongoing projects in the Philippines in the areas of energy efficiency, environmental protection, and sustainable mining with a total budget allocation of USD3.93M. The Philippines is a founding member of UNIDO, which was established in 1966. It was given the status of a specialized agency of the United Nations only in 1985 with the late Domingo L. Siazon Jr. serving as its first Director General. END
