United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)
Updated February 2003
 

Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

In order for SMEs to prosper, grow and be competitive, they require a supportive environment that provides easy unencumbered access to capital, information, technology, knowledge and skills. The adoption and adaptation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can have a profound effect on the delivery of these resources.

A large area of the work of UNIDO is devoted to removing the many constraints that SMEs face in developing countries and particularly in the least-developed countries. In this respect, UNIDO has a number of programmes and initiatives underway that directly or indirectly are concerned with the use and diffusion of ICTs for development.

UNIDO’s focus is on building up local capacities of industry to identify, adopt and use applications of ICT to make their work more effective and efficient.

UNIDO has an ICT Working Group that is looking at possibilities of using ICT for development.

The document UNIDO's contribution to WSIS describes UNIDO's work with ICTs for development. The document is available at:
http://www.unido.org/en/doc/9881#story2

Areas of Application:

n/a

UNIDO's technical co-operation programme is carried out through the modality of integrated programmes at the country level (see http://www.unido.org/doc/3923), which by definition means the aspects of ICT in the different components would be integrated. They are often led by the establishment of a commercially operating business information network to support SMEs in both towns and rural areas.

The business information networks are established themselves as SMEs with shareholders from both the public and private sectors in the country.

Cases that are particularly illustrative/examples of best practices can be found at:
http://www.unido.org/en/doc/view/3419
http://www.unido.org/en/doc/view/3625

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

n/a

Current level is approx. US$1.5 million for two years (expected to rise)

Mr. Paul Makin, Chief, ICT, P.Makin@unido.org