Li Yong re-appointed Director General of UNIDO

World
Europe

Li Yong has been re-appointed Director General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) at the group's 17th session which got underway Monday in the Austrian capital Vienna.

In his speech, Li said he felt humbled by the trust placed in him to lead UNIDO for another four years, adding that he felt "a sense of profound responsibility".

Li said that the global community is still facing a number of unresolved and urgent challenges, with poverty, unemployment and hunger remaining the most persistent and daunting tasks for the world.

Li said these issues can be confronted together, stating that "the only way to solve the challenges ahead of us is in partnership, in partnership with governments, UN sister agencies, the private sector and civil society."

/CGTN Photo.‍

Once serving as China’s Vice Finance Minister, Li Yong was elected by UNIDO’s Industrial Development Board to succeed Kandeh Yumkella as Director General on 24 June, 2013.

His appointment was confirmed at a special session of the organization's General Conference which took place on June 28, 2013, in Vienna, becoming the first Chinese from the mainland to take charge of a special agency of the United Nations.

The seventeenth session of the General Conference is themed "Partnering for impact – achieving the Sustainable Development Goals".

From November 27 to December 1, UNIDO’s initiatives, achievements and partnerships will be showcased through a range of events.

The General Conference, UNIDO’s highest policymaking organ, brings together representatives of the organization’s member states. It will also approve the program and budgets for the forthcoming biennium.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Li on his re-appointment in a video message.

7472km