Government of Ethiopia nominates Dr Arkebe Oqubay as Ethiopia's Candidate for UNIDO Director-General at the 48th Session of UNIDO/IDB on November 23,2019

Statement of the Ethiopian Delegation at the 48th Session of UNIDO/IDB Item 3. Annual report of the Director General for 2019

Mr. President,
Excellencies,
Director General
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, allow me to  congratulate you for presiding over our 48th session of the Industrial Development Board. I would also like to congratulate other members of the Bureau.

Mr. President, I would also like to thank the Director General of UNIDO, Mr. Li Yong, for  his dedication and demonstrated able leadership during his tenure. The Secretariat of the UNIDO also deserves a special appreciation for the excellent organisation of the session and  distribution of the documents and important information within the standard time.

My delegation would like to associate itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the African Group, and the Group of G77 and Chin.

Mr. President, we took note of the 2019 Annual and the Medium-Term Program Framework MTPF, 2018–2021 report of the Director General. The report provides UNIDO’s considerable progress during the period of 2019 in the implementation of major programs, activities and other initiatives aimed at fostering the culture of inclusive and sustainable industrial development which is the priority mandate of the organization.

Mr. President,

The Ethio-UNIDO close cooperation dates back to its establishment and more than 300 projects have been implemented with the support of the UNIDO in all segments of the value chains in a wide range of initiatives from technical assistance and capacity building to policy advice.The recent success of the PCP projects in Ethiopia as a pilot project was a good example of the Ethiopia-UNIDO cooperation.With the strong partnerships that we have managed to foster over the years, especially in the past five successful PCP-Ethiopia implementation year, we have come a long way in terms of building state of the art industrial infrastructure base. The establishment of integrated agroindustrial parks (IAIPs) can be mentioned as a case in point of priority initiative of the Government of Ethiopia. The IAIPs focuses on adding value to locally sourced agricultural products and will address constraints to business sector development. At the same time, they will serve as a platform for catalysing investment and job creation.

Mr. President,

In our undertaking to elect the next DG, we need to critically look for a candidate who has a proven track record in policy and leadership as well as a knowledge of practical skills and overall experience.

The Government of Ethiopia is, therefore, proud to cordially announce its decision to present Dr Arkebe Oqubay, a Senior Minister and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia.
Dr Oqubay is a dedicated and well-respected public servant with over three decades of experience in industrial and economic policy design and implementation. Dr Oqubay is also recognised for his innovative transformation and strategic leadership in Ethiopia’s economic transformation – resulting in one of the world’s fastest growing economies – and championing the country’s pioneering industrial development model, one that is replicated across many African countries. His understanding and experience of developing countries, and tested real hands-on leadership fits UNIDO’s requirement in the new decade. Dr Oqubay is one of the leading thinkers and scholars in industrial development and economic transformation, which his scholarly works are testament to.

Inclosing Ethiopia as member of the Board is confident that under your able leadership, we will have a successful 48th session, and I would like to assure you, of my delegation’s full cooperation and support.

I Thank you