UNIDO launches knowledge platform to help achieve Sustainable Development Goal 9 in Latin America and the Caribbean

VIENNA, 12 April 2022 –  Gerd Müller, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and Mireya Muñoz Mera, Ambassador of Ecuador to Austria and President of the Group of Latin America and the Caribbean countries (GRULAC), have officially launched the SDG 9 Accelerator Platform – www.sdg9accelerator.org.

The SDG 9 Accelerator is an innovative online tool, in Spanish, developed to bring national stakeholders in the Latin American and Caribbean region together, closing communication gaps, facilitating collaboration and establishing partnerships. The Accelerator provides decision-makers, the private sector, development agencies, members of civil society and academia with the opportunity to exchange knowledge and good practices on national priority areas related to achieving an inclusive and sustainable industrial development.

Gerd Müller pointed out that the SDG 9 Accelerator Platform highlights “the emphasis that UNIDO places on strengthening existing and forging new alliances at the global, regional and sub-regional level, as well as promoting South-South and Triangular cooperation”. He noted that the SDG 9 Accelerator is rooted in the fact that regional cooperation and integration are key aspects for economic recovery. Similarly, Ambassador Muñoz Mera welcomed the official launch of the SDG 9 Accelerator as a knowledge exchange platform in Spanish that will support the efforts of the Latin American and Caribbean countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable industrial development and to improve regional integration.

With the SDG 9 Accelerator Platform, UNIDO aims to contribute to a green transformation of the industrial development model of Latin America and the Caribbean. The SDG 9 Accelerator works as a driver for integration and innovation from three different perspectives: connecting policymakers and sustainable development professionals from the private sector, civil society and the academia in the Latin American and Caribbean region; providing information on innovative and good practices; and encouraging the sharing of experiences and knowledge among peers to solve common challenges.

The launch event brought together ambassadors, vice-ministers and directors of national ministries of industry and economy, as well as numerous policymakers and development professionals in the Latin American and Caribbean region, who exchanged views on the relevance of achieving SDG 9 as the way forward to recover from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.