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- It highlighted its contribution to the industrial and mining sectors, including 16 development projects and more than $463.5 million of funding
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Saturday won the bid to host the 21st General Conference of the UN Industrial Development Organization, which will be held in Riyadh in November 2025, after adopting a resolution unanimously among the organization’s 172 member states, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Kingdom was chosen to hold the event during the 20th UNIDO General Conference in Vienna, with the participation of a Saudi delegation headed by Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef.
He thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the support they provide to the ministry to carry out its roles and achieve its targets in accordance with the aspirations of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 reform plan.
Al-Khorayef praised the tireless diplomatic efforts to mobilize the support of the organization’s member states, which were carried out by the permanent Saudi delegation in Vienna led by Ambassador Abdullah bin Khalid Toula.
“The Kingdom’s victory to host the General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in its 21st session is an international recognition of the Kingdom’s position as an engine of economic growth and industrialization in the region, and an affirmation of its commitment to promoting industrial development around the world,” Al-Khorayef said in a statement.
He stressed that the Kingdom will ensure that the conference is an exceptional and successful event on various levels.
He said holding the conference in Saudi Arabia is an opportunity to highlight his country’s pioneering role as a regional leader in basic and transformational industries, given its advanced industrial systems and strong regulatory and legislative capabilities that qualify it to lead and contribute to strengthening industrial development in the Middle East and globally.
He said the Kingdom’s victory reflects its influential political and economic weight in the international arena, which was also represented by its victory to host the World Expo 2030.
UNIDO, which was founded in 1966, aims to promote industrial development in member countries, support small and medium enterprises, and enhance international cooperation in the field of industrial development.
More than 1,500 people are expected to participate in the general conference in Riyadh in 2025, including representatives of UNIDO member states, international organizations and the private sector.
Meanwhile, the Saudi Fund for Development presented some of its international programs at the Kingdom’s pavilion on the sidelines of the UNIDO conference in Vienna.
The fund’s involvement was part of its industrial development efforts, including financing projects and programs that contribute to the promotion of social growth and economic prosperity in developing countries.
It highlighted its contribution to the industrial and mining sectors, including 16 development projects and more than $463.5 million of funding.