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In contrast to frequent criticism of the government's
industrial development policy, a United Nations agency apparently
believes that it has a lot to offer other developing countries.
"I have been discussing details of areas where we can promote some of
the best practices from your country to other regions," United Nations
Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) director general Kandeh K.
Yumkella said Monday in Jakarta.
UNIDO is a specialized agency of the UN with 172 members that aims to
assist developing countries accelerate their industrial development.
Yumkella said he had discussed with Industry Ministry Fahmi Idris some
of the innovations that Indonesia had made in the SME sector that could
be used as examples for other developing or poorer countries under the
South-South Cooperation (SSC) initiative.
"We have discussed what we can learn from you, for example, about
jathropa and its processing. Some of the pilots that the government
will launch soon will be able to meet energy needs in rural
communities."
"We feel that this has great potential for the drier areas of Central
and West Africa, where jathropa grows naturally. With basic processing
technologies, it can raise rural incomes. We are using it as a platform
for South-South cooperation," he said.
Apart from Jathropa, Yumkella said that they had also discussed
bridging cooperation in other sectors, such as collaboration in
fisheries and shrimp production between Indonesian companies and other
countries in the Southern Hemisphere.
To support its future activities in Indonesia, UNIDO plans to establish
a regional center for South-South cooperation in Jakarta, following the
establishment of such centers in China, India and South Africa.
The Indonesian center is expected to serve as a catalyst in mapping out
the available potential and modalities in the Southeast Asian region.
Agriculture Ministry Secretary-General Hasanuddin Ibrahim, who also met
with Yumkella, said that he had proposed collaboration in the
biotechnology and agribusiness sectors to UNIDO.
"Germ plasma is one of our crucial natural resources. Thus, the
development of biotechnology is very important to us," he said.
Hasanuddin said that Indonesia had been providing agricultural
assistance to a number of African countries, including Tanzania, Gambia
and Madagascar, since 1992. This assistance had helped these African
countries increase their rice yields.
During the 2000-2004 period, South-South exports grew at an annual rate
of 17.6 percent, which topped the growth rate for South-North and
North-South exports during the same period, at 12.6 percent and 9.7
percent, respectively.
South-South foreign direct investment (FDI) also increased -- from $14
billion in 1995 to $47 billion in 2003.
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