SCO Secretary-General meets with UNIDO Director General

On 27 September 2019, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov had a meeting with Li Yong, Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in New York.

During the meeting, Mr Norov stressed that the socioeconomic aspect was becoming very important at the SCO. This tendency was reflected both in the SCO Development Strategy until 2025 in line with the global Sustainable Development Goals until 2030, and in separate initiatives of the SCO member states, with China's Belt and Road Initiative being the largest of them.

In this context, Mr Norov noted that the SCO considered it very important to cooperate with specialised UN institutions in order to coordinate and promote the development of trade and economic ties in the organisation.

The UNIDO Director General noted that strengthening the economic element of the SCO's activities increased the unity and efficiency of the organisation. He placed particular emphasis on the development of joint projects in infrastructure, energy, tourism and agriculture. In addition, Mr Yong noted that there needed to be a focus on the development of the states' export potential, common lines of production and the growth of added value.

The parties agreed to maintain business contacts. The meeting was held in a businesslike and constructive atmosphere.