Riyadh, 26 November 2025 — The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) today set the course of the future of global industrialization with the official launch of its Vision 2050 and the Industrial Development Report 2026 (IDR26). The launch took place at the 21st Session of the UNIDO General Conference and parallel Global Industry Summit 2025 during a high-level session “Preparing for the Future of Industrialization” in the presence of government ministers, development partners, private-sector leaders and leading economists.
A Vision for Inclusive, Sustainable, and Climate-Resilient Industrial Futures
Demographic shifts, emerging technologies, digitalization and artificial intelligence, changing trade patterns and the global transition to greener and more digital economies offer unique chances to leapfrog into new industrial sectors, particularly for developing countries. UNIDO’s Vision 2050: The Future of Industries for Development is the response to these opportunities for transformative change.
UNIDO Deputy to the Director General Cecilia Ugaz Estrada: “The world needs a 'New Industrial Deal' and UNIDO has crafted an industrial strategic blueprint to guide sustainable industrial development over the next two and a half decades. Our Vision is to create a fair global economy in which poverty and hunger are eradicated and where industries create decent jobs, foster innovation and promote prosperity while protecting people and the planet."
Through its “Industries for Development” framework, UNIDO supports Member States in creating fair and sustainable supply chains, promoting agro-industry and local value addition to end hunger and in promoting clean energy and climate action. These efforts are reinforced by cross-cutting priorities of industrial policy, skills development, digitalization and AI, private investment and development finance, gender equality and youth empowerment.
Vision 2050 is built on four key principles: inclusion, sustainability, resilience, and innovation-driven development. It outlines a range of pathways to support developing economies, including policy advice, technology transfer, industrial skills development, standards setting, and partnership development. The goal is to help these economies combine industrial growth with global climate and sustainability targets. UNIDO’s Vision 2050 is the result of extensive consultations with Member States and experts. It builds on three key foresight studies concerning Digitally Empowered and Innovation-Driven Industries; Resilient, Fair, and Sustainable Global Value Chains; and Clean Energy and Climate Action.
Industrial Development Report 2026: data for decision-making on the future of industries
UNIDO also presented the latest Industrial Development Report, which provides new empirical insights into current industrial performance, emerging technological trends and the evolving geography of global production.
The report underscores that while sustainable industrialization remains essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda, many developing countries continue to be marginalized within global manufacturing. Reversing this trend requires resilient, future-ready industrial ecosystems built through coordinated action, ranging from infrastructure and skills to technology transfer and financing. Strengthening institutions, deepening regional integration and mobilizing long-term capital is central to enabling countries to industrialize while advancing climate and development goals.
Drawing on innovative scenario-based modelling, IDR26 sends a clear message: a joint effort to expand industrial ecosystems, combined with progress on clean energy, fair and sustainable supply chains, and expanded agro-industrialization can lift millions out of poverty. It can also reduce emissions and help close the global manufacturing gap, steering the world towards shared prosperity. The report highlights how the future of industrial development also presents significant opportunities for developing regions. Emerging megatrends such as the green transition, AI-driven digitalization, shifting geoeconomics, evolving labour markets and changing food systems open new pathways for designing ambitious, forward-looking industrial policies and strategies. These include clean-tech manufacturing, critical minerals, AI-enabled innovation and the bioeconomy.
IDR26 reaffirms that a more inclusive and sustainable global future is achievable if the industrialized countries act in concert with developing countries and the wider international community with urgency and ambition.
A call for coordinated industrial transformation
During the session, speakers stressed that meeting the SDGs and UNIDO's Vision 2050 ambitions requires unprecedented collaboration amongst governments, development agencies, financial institutions and the private sector. A recurring theme was the need to ensure that green and digital transitions do not exacerbate inequalities between and within countries.
UNIDO highlighted its commitment to supporting Member States through targeted programmes in quality infrastructure, industrial policy design, innovation ecosystems and sustainable value chain development. Partnerships with international finance institutions and regional organizations were identified as critical to scaling investments in green industrial infrastructure and digital manufacturing capabilities.
The launch marks a milestone in UNIDO’s mandate to promote sustainable industrial development globally. With Vision 2050 and IDR26, UNIDO has provided both a long-term outlook and evidence-based guidance to help Member States navigate uncertainty and harness new industrial opportunities.