UNIDO's LKDF Forum 2025 Emphasizes Local Value Addition for Sustainable Supply Chains

The UNIDO's Learning and Knowledge Development Facility (LKDF) Forum 2025 brought together experts from the public, private, and development sectors to discuss the importance of local value addition in ensuring sustainable growth in global supply chains. The event, held both online and in-person at the World of Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden, highlighted the need for greater investment in skills for responsible, future-oriented supply chains.

Key Takeaways:

• The Forum emphasized the importance of localizing skills and competencies across value chains, particularly in manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and industrial processing, to enable multinational corporations and developing countries to thrive.
• UNIDO's Director General Gerd MÈ­ller stressed the need for greater investment in skills for responsible, future-oriented supply chains, declaring that "skills development is absolutely key" to building competitive and resilient supply chains with more local value addition.
• Maria Tegborg, Acting Head of the Global Department of Sida, underscored the role of technical and vocational education and training (TVET) in bridging skills gaps and improving economic outcomes.
• Participants agreed that without a strong local perspective, initiatives risk being ineffective or unsustainable, highlighting the need for early engagement of local stakeholders and tailoring programs to community needs.
• The Forum recognized the importance of soft skills, sustainability literacy, ESG compliance, and attention to the informal economy, which still represents the majority of employment in many parts of the world.
• UNIDO's Public-Private Development Partnerships (PPDP) were highlighted as an effective model for aligning vocational training and education with industry demands, fostering targeted training programs that integrate technical skills with sustainability practices.
• The Forum welcomed 37 in-person participants and 231 online attendees, representing public and private sectors, civil society, academia, and international organizations.
• The second day featured a co-creation workshop facilitated by UNIDO's LKDF team in partnership with the Volvo Group, generating thirteen new PPDP project ideas and laying the groundwork for future partnerships across industries.

Statistics:

• 37 in-person participants and 231 online attendees joined the Forum, representing a diverse range of sectors.
• 13 new PPDP project ideas were generated during the co-creation workshop on the second day of the Forum.

Sources:

• UNIDO's LKDF Forum 2025 publication
• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)
• European Commission
• African Union Development Agency-NEPAD
• African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Volvo Group
• Siemens Healthineers
• Enabel
• Deutsche Gesellschaft fÈ­r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• Festo Didactic
• APO Group
• United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)