It is my pleasure to congratulate the United Nations Industrial Development Organization on completing 50 years of work to fight poverty and promote development. ?
As technical and specialized agencies, the IAEA and UNIDO share many common principles. ?We also share a unique place within the UN system, in that we transfer technical knowledge to improve people’s lives.
The newly-adopted Sustainable Development Goals make this common mission more urgent. For the first time, the world recognized the importance of science and technology to achieve prosperity.
Science is fundamental for development, and technological advances are a must if we are to tackle the many challenges that face humankind today. Those challenges include generating enough energy, boosting economic growth, tackling climate change, and producing enough food to provide for a growing world population.
Sustainable industrial development underpins the achievement of all these objectives. Industry is indispensable, and cutting-edge technologies are crucial to create strong economies, in developed and developing countries alike. ?
Nuclear techniques have an important contribution to make. ?They are used extensively in industry to increase product quality and safety, benefiting both producers and consumers. Radiation tools make industrial production cleaner and more effective.
The IAEA and UNIDO have been working together for years to create better and stronger industries. In Vietnam, to take just one example, we work together to promote cleaner industrial production.
This is also a special year for the IAEA. We are marking our 60th anniversary and decades of work to make nuclear science and technology available to help countries pursue their development objectives.
In the coming decades, we will continue our partnership with UNIDO with the goal of helping all countries achieve their development potential.
I send my congratulations and very best wishes to Director General Li Yong and all of our friends and colleagues at UNIDO.