Industry Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan pushed for a stronger industrialisation agenda for Least Developed Countries (LDC) at the 11th Ministerial Conference of LDCs organised by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and hosted by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Saturday, according to a press release.
He led a four-member Bangladesh delegation to the conference, held under the theme “Driving inclusive industrialisation in LDCs: Investment, innovation and partnerships,” which brought together ministers, ambassadors, permanent representatives and private sector partners. The discussions centred on financing sustainable industrial development and formulating policies that support irreversible graduation from LDC status.
Speaking as a panelist in the high-level dialogue titled “Shaping LDCs industrialisation agenda: Ministerial dialogue on investment, innovation and partnership,” Adilur Rahman Khan highlighted Bangladesh’s progress towards LDC graduation and reiterated the “three zeros” — zero carbon emission, zero unemployment and zero poverty — prioritised by Chief Adviser of the Interim Government Muhammad Yunus.
He said Bangladesh is moving towards smart manufacturing and deeper value chain integration under the National Industrial Policy 2022. He stressed that investment, innovation and partnerships are essential drivers for inclusive industrial growth across LDCs, and underscored the central role of SMEs as the backbone of industrial development and a strategic pillar for long-term sustainability.
The industry adviser also moderated an informal session on the ministerial declaration for LDC member states as vice chairman. The document will be adopted at the 21st session of the UNIDO General Conference, scheduled for 23–27 November in Riyadh.
Bangladesh’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNIDO in Vienna Toufique Hasan attended the conference as part of the delegation.
