Annual Report 2007

UNIDO ITPO Italy Annual Report 2007

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Investment and Technology Promotion Office – Italy

ITPO ITALY

Annual Report on Activities and Achievements

2007

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FOREWORD Dear friends and colleagues,

The year 2007 reported in this document was a year of transition in all respects. We proposed a work program based on the findings and suggestions of an evaluation that was completed early in the calendar year, emphasizing promotion, technical assistance, capacity-building, and proposing to resume the high delivery rate of previous years. This year also, the Office had to cooperate with the conduct of two internal audits, one on our Core Project, started already in 2006, and one on our Local IP Projects during 2007.

I am pleased to report that audits have been now completed and we are actively implementing the suggestions received in both the evaluation and the audit of our core project. The audit of our Local IP Projects was completed only early in 2008 and we are still in the process of discussing it with Vienna, analyzing, and internalising it. In any case, our delivery of traditional outputs has heldup well in spite of these massive claims on our staff resources. We participated in a large number of events, and for that reason, we had to increase the strength of our staff last fall with a number of short-term local consultants.

We continued to work on our core responsibilities, especially investment promotion, and continued to benefit from the added-value of working within the ITPO-IPU network. We completed successfully, despite a short delay, the technical assistance project to support the Serbian Agency for SMEs and Entrepreneurship, and conducted an internal evaluation of same which should become available shortly. In that context, ITPO Italy hosted two representatives of the Serbian Agency who promoted, with our support, projects of Serbian firms in biomass, energy, and foodprocessing. We continued to work in high gear on the Local IP project on Energy and Environment co-financed by the Italian Ministry of Environment, on our EU-funded Al-Invest programs in Latin America, as well as on those carried-out jointly with HQ. We continued our collaboration with HQ on the Consolidated Project for SME Development in India, particularly through the identification of suitable Italian counterparts to the Indian Clusters in leather and footwear, leather tanning, and auto parts. We made good use of the delegates’ program, having successfully hosted delegates of Côte d’Ivoire, Sénégal, and Uganda who were given good support in their promotion efforts and with whom ITPO Italy is still fruitfully collaborating.

As for our prospects, the discussion of our work program in Vienna marked a new departure which, in time may well involved the whole ITPO network, with ITPO Italy being the pioneer in introducing new products and services to the private sector as well as institutional cooperation (Technical Assistance, Capacity-Building, Institutional Strengthening) with private and public bodies that support SMEs and entrepreneurship in developing countries. This will also permit a deeper synergy with HQ, once the mandate of the ITPOs shows a greater intersection with that of UNIDO Vienna. This will be particularly true in new and dynamic fields such as Environment, Climate Change, Water, and Energy, areas that have grown tremendously in importance and priority in recent years. The recent appointment of the new Coordinator of the ITPO network in early 2008 has also energized the whole field and ITPO Italy intends to maximize its contribution to the new strategies that UNIDO Vienna has recently started to emphasize. ITPO Italy is well placed to catch this train early because our Project Document needs to be reformulated as it lapses at the end of calendar year 2008 and, in consultation with our Donor, Italy, and UNIDO Vienna, we intend to formulate a new and exciting core project for the future.

Diana Battaggia Head- UNIDO ITPO Italy

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CONTENTS ITPO AT GLANCE

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SERVICES TO ENTERPRISES

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- Summary of Results 2007 - Geographical Distribution of Investment Promotion Activities in 2007 - UNIDO Network - UNIDO’s Delegate Programme 2007 MEDITERRANEAN ARAB COUNTRIES

10 11 12 14 17

OTHER REGIONS AND COUNTRIES - Latin America - Asia - Sub-Saharan Africa - Eastern Europe

23 24 26 28 30

SPECIAL INVESTMENT PROMOTION PROGRAMMES - Environment, energy and sustainable development - Collaboration with the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land, and Sea HIGHLIGHTS ON INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES - OECD-Mena Countries Forum on Investment Attraction and Policy Reforms - B2B Garment Forum at Maroc Sourcing 2007: Re-launching the Moroccan Textile Sector - Marmomacc: the International Exhibition of Stone Design and Technology - Siamap 2007: The International Show of Agriculture, Agricultural Machinery and Fisheries - Mia 2007: 37th International Food Show - UNIDO ITPO Italy at Autopromotec 2007 - Sana 2007: 19th International Exhibition of Natural Products - UNIDO Delegation at Fieravicola  HIGHLIGHTS ON CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES - Technical Assistance support to the Serbian Agency for the Development of SME & Entrepreneurship on “SMEs economic-financial evaluation” - On the Road of Excellence: The Italian Experience of Industrial Districts and Consortia - Strengthening Serbian Agency For SMEs. New alliances for Development in Renewable Energies, Agro-Industry, and Wood Processing sectors - Unido Capacity Building Initiative For China - Capacity Building Intervention in the Packaging Sector for Lebanese Delegation - Capacity Building on high technologies for olive oil and avocado production ANNEXES

33 34 38 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 59

- Business Meetings 2007 - Investment Promotion: Country presentations and seminars - Capacity Building: Country presentations and seminars - Projects Under Negotiation in 2007 - Projects Concluded in 2007 - Projects Under Implementation - Operational Projects - Company Visits - Study Tours PRESS REVIEW

60 63 69 72 78 80 80 82 84 87

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ITPO at GLANCE

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The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) promotes industrial development by attracting private investment and technology transfer to developing and transition countries. Its action encompasses energy and environment issues, and contributes to the Millennium Development Goals by increasing productive employment and improving living standards.

UNIDO Headquarters are located in Vienna, and Country, Regional and Desk Offices are spread worldwide. In addition, UNIDO operates the networks of Investment and Technology Promotion Offices (ITPOs), Investment and Promotion Units (IPUs), National Cleaner Production Centres (NCPCs) and International Technology Centres (ITCs).

The Italian Investment and Technology Promotion Office, ITPO Italy, became operational in 1987 with the financial support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – General Directorate of Development Cooperation. The Office’s mandate is to enhance SMEs competitiveness in developing countries through the transfer of technology and managerial skills required for the implementation of industrial projects, as well as support to access funds. These activities are expected to boost employment and establish a competitive and environmentally sound economy. Besides providing firms with services that range from partner search to financial evaluation of investment projects, UNIDO ITPO Italy also assists public Institutions.

The range of services provided by the Office has been evolving over the years, mainly as a result of increased relationships among countries, and enhanced access to information and investment opportunities. In particular, the Office’s activities have been redirected towards supplying more specific products and services such as custom-made country programmes, sectoral programmes, and economic and technical feasibility studies of industrial cooperation projects. Environmental and energy issues have become the target of strategic policy interventions. Furthermore, the Office has taken advantage of new Decentralized Cooperation opportunities by designing and implementing selected projects jointly with Italian local public administrations in their new role as partners in international cooperation.

Besides being part of the ITPO network (with offices in Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, China, Korea, France, Greece, Japan, Poland, and United Kingdom), ITPO Italy also cooperates closely with the IPUs in selected Mediterranean countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Egypt). The IPUs are operational platforms that promote and maintain industrial relations between Italy and the Mediterranean area by facilitating direct contacts among enterprises and, hence cooperation agreements. In addition, the IPU and ITPO networks share a database, Exchange, jointly managed to supply information on industrial projects to firms and institutions.

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SERVICES TO ENTERPRISES Dissemination of information on emerging markets ITPO Italy provides companies and institutions with up-to-date information on general legal matters about FDI, economic conditions, investment financing, and opportunities for industrial cooperation in some selected developing and Eastern European countries. Screened and selected projects are promoted and brought to the attention of Italian entrepreneurs in order to identify possible business partners.

Search for partners For an industrial investment project to be successful, in many cases, involvement of a local partner is essential. ITPO Italy, both directly and through its “operational antennae” across several countries, assists entrepreneurs in the identification of suitable partners for the development of investment projects.

Organisation of entrepreneurial meetings ITPO Italy organises business meetings among entrepreneurs throughout Italy and developing countries, mainly during or alongside specialized sectoral exhibitions at which delegations of entrepreneurs have been invited.

Preliminary evaluations of investment projects ITPO Italy is able to assist Italian and developing country entrepreneurs interested in formalising business relations by carrying-out preliminary evaluations to asses the economic and financial feasibility of project ideas.

Assistance in negotiations including the preparation of business plans ITPO Italy provides assistance to Italian companies in their relations with potential counterparts in other countries during all phases of negotiations. These services include the organisation of company visits, the definition of the technical and economic parameters of the project, the drafting of the agreement, the identification of financial resources available for the implementation of the project, and assistance in the preparation of business plans, so as to facilitate access to available credit lines and alternative financial sources.

Assistance to Italian and foreign companies applying for financing under Law 49/87 art. 6 ITPO Italy provides assistance to Italian and foreign companies from countries where credit lines were opened under art. 6 of Law 49/87 by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the acquisition of state-of-the-art industrial machinery and equipment and services of (mainly) Italian origin in favour of local companies. ITPO Italy (i) provides information on the procedures and applicability to potential Italian exporters of technology, and (ii) provides assistance in the preparation of the technical documents required for the application through the local banking systems in cooperation with local IPUs (wherever they exist, i.e. in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan). This line of work is substantially reduced in recent years due to redirecting of the main part of this work to Italian Embassies abroad.

Assistance to companies applying for financing under Law 49/87 art. 7 Under the agreement concluded with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ITPO Italy is entrusted with (i) the promotion of the use of art. 7 applications among potential Italian beneficiaries, (ii) the provision of information on the specific applicability to individual cases and, most of all, (iii) the preparation of the technical documents required to apply for financing the equity participation of Italian companies in joint-ventures under art. 7, Law 49/87. Assistance to companies includes technical assistance in the preparation of a business plan. The appeal of this instrument has also fallen in recent year, as has demand for our assistance.

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SUMMARY OF RESULTS 2007

(See A nnex es )

Promotional Activities

5 0 Cou n try pr ese n ta tions and se minars org an ized s in gly or jo intly

Or gan iz a tio n an d supp or t to e n tre pre neur ial d elega tio ns to par ticip a te in 2 0 b us i nes s m e et in gs in 7 c ou n tr ies .

3 D elega tes fr om deve lo ping co un tr ies hos te d

8 Stu d y tou rs an d /or p romo tional tou rs orga niz ed in Ita l y

2 0 In ter nation al trade and in ves tmen t fo rum

16 Deve loping countries invo lved

Capacity building

1 4 S em in ar s o r ga niz ed s in gl y or j o in t l y

2 2 Company vis i ts

Project completion Ab ou t 34 0 Pr o jec ts pr o mot ed G eog rap hic D is tr ibu tio n : Afric a 2 1 , As ia 11, L a ti n A me r ic a 45 , Mediterranean A r a b C ou n tr ies 224 , Eas tern Eu ro pe 3 6

1 02 Pr o jec t s u nd er n eg ot iat i on

G eog rap hic D is tr ibu tio n : Afric a 4 , Latin Am erica 4 , Med i ter rane an Ara b Countr ies 9 1 , Eas tern Europe 3

2 7 Pro ject s co nc lude d

G eog rap hic D is tr ibu tio n : Me d i terr ane an Arab C oun tries 2 2 , Eas ter n Euro pe 4 , L a ti n Ame r i c a 1 7 P ro je ct s u nd er i m ple m ent at ion G eog rap hic D is tr ibu tio n : Me d i terr ane an Arab C oun tries 6 , Eas t ern E ur op e 1,

9 P ro je ct s op era t ion a l

G eog rap hic D is tr ibu tio n : Arab Me diterra nea n Cou n tr ies 6 , Eas ter n Euro pe 3 T o ta l In vestm en t Am ou n t: around 36 million US$ Nu mb er o f n ew jobs cr ea te d : ar ou nd 925 10

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES IN 2007

Geographical Distribution 2007 Project Portfolio

250 224

200

Africa

150

Asia Latin America MENA Countries

100

East Europe

45

50

37

21 11 0 Investment Projects Promoted

Note: MEDA – Mediterranean Arab Countries – Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia.

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UNIDO NETWORK UNIDO is represented by designated country or regional offices and, in addition, by a Network of Investment and Technology Promotion Offices, financed by the countries they are located in, by Investment Promotion Units, by National Cleaner Production Centres established jointly with the United Nations Environment Programme, and by International Technology Centres.

UNIDO ITPO Italy promotes industrial development and technology transfer with the support of locally-based Investment Promotion Units (IPUs). Such Units were established in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, and Uganda, and entrusted with promoting the development of local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

While not exactly an IPU, the Support Unit to the Serbian Agency for Development of SMEs also helped keep a close link with enterprises and other partners in Serbia before to end its activity in this year.

Beyond providing technical and financial assistance, IPUs facilitate industrial collaboration between enterprises in developed countries and local SMEs. IPUs also develop specific programmes relating to industrial sectors such as agro-food, textile and garments, leather, building materials, marble, plastic, automotive, environment, and renewable energies. While until recently, IPUs were managed directly from ITPO Italy, they are now basically under HQ administrative and operational supervision and linked to other ITPOs, while a support unit remains in Rome.

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UNIDO HQ (http://www.unido.org ) Field Offices Europe: Turkey Armenia Africa: Algeria Cameroon Côte d'lvoire Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Guinea Kenya Madagascar

UNIDO Desks Morocco Mozambique Nigeria Senegal Sudan Tunisia Tanzania Burkina Faso Eritrea Mali Rwanda Sierra Leone South Africa Zimbabwe

Latin America: Colombia Mexico Uruguay Bolivia Ecuador Nicaragua Middle East: Iran Lebanon Jordan

Asia: China India Indonesia Pakistan Philippines Thailand Vietnam Laos

Investment and Technology Promotion Offices Investment Promotion Units Investment and Technology Promotion Office Italy ( http://www.unido.it ) Belgium Russia China (2 offices) Egypt France (2 offices) United Kingdom Korea Morocco Greece Brazil Japan Tunisia Italy Bahrain Mexico Uganda Poland Jordan

National Cleaner Production Centres Europe: Africa: Armenia Ethiopia Croatia Egypt Czech Kenya Hungary Morocco Macedonia Mozambique Russia South Africa Slovak Tanzania Tunisia Uganda Zimbabwe

Latin America: Brazil Costa Rica Cuba El Salvador Guatemala Mexico Nicaragua Middle East: Lebanon

● Support Unit

● Support Unit to Serbian SME Development Agency

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Asia: Cambodia China India Korea Lao Sri Lanka Uzbekistan Viet Nam

UNIDO’S DELEGATES PROGRAMME 2007 The Delegates Programme is operational in all UNIDO ITPO offices and represents an essential tool supporting promotional activities. Not only did it prove to be an efficient means of obtaining the support of local Institutions, but it also helped to promote bilateral cooperation between Developing Countries and Italy.

Thus the Delegates form a link between the economic system of their home country and Italy.

They assist Italian companies and those from their own countries in the development of collaboration agreements through the promotion of Investment opportunities and by facilitating the search for potential partners.

Coming from public institutions, banks, or the industrial associations of developing countries, the Delegates are posted usually for short-term periods at UNIDO ITPO Italy. They bring with them from their home countries, and present to Italian companies, a portfolio of selected investment opportunities.

After their experience at the ITPO, the delegates return to their home countries, creating an international network of human resources and important contacts for UNIDO ITPO Italy and Italian industries. Their improved knowledge also becomes a resource to their own institutions and the SMEs that they assist.

The Delegates Programme is relevant in terms of Investment Promotion (delegates must come with a portfolio of projects), Capacity Building (delegates become familiar with ITPO procedures and UNIDO methodology, and learn about the Italian working environment), and transfer of knowledge, as Delegates return home with prized new knowledge and experience for use in their home countries.

Forty-three delegates worked with UNIDO ITPO Italy between 1989 and 2007. They came from 26 countries in Latin America, the Far East, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. During 2007, ITPO Italy hosted representatives from the Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Uganda.

IVORY COAST - Delegate: Ms. Julié Lébé VANIE (Jun 07 – Jul 07) Sponsoring institution: Centre de Promotion des Investissements en Côte d'Ivoire (CEPICI).

Ms. Julie Lebe Vanie, Technical Counsellor of CEPICI and the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of Ivory Coast joined ITPO Italy from June to July 2007 within the context of UNIDO delegate Programme. Main objective of her stay in Italy was to promote Ivorian investment opportunities - mainly in the agribusiness sector and acquire a deep insight in UNIDO methodology, thus in terms of promotion of business opportunities.

During her mission, Ms. Vanie had the opportunity to meet several important entrepreneurial Associations and Institutions such as CONFAPI, FEDERCOOPESCA, Provincia di Bologna, Unindustria Bologna, Assafrica & Mediterraneo, CAAB Mercati, having the chance to spread information on investment climate and opportunities in Ivory Coast and putting the basis of new forms of cooperation.

Furthermore, Ms. Vanie got acquainted with the Italian productive system and the quality standards required by the Italian market. In this regard, her commitment was intense in promoting the project’s portfolio previously selected in accordance with ITPO staff that supported her in several mission and company visits all along the Italian peninsula.

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SENEGAL – Delegate: Mr. Bécaye DIARRA (Jun 07 – Jul 07) Sponsoring institution: Agence de développement et d’encadrement des petites et moyennes entreprises (ADEPME).

In the framework of the “UNIDO delegate programme”, ITPO Italy hosted Mr Becaye Diarra from ADEPME (Senegalese Agency for the Development of SMEs) in 2007. Jointly with ITPO, the delegate selected a portfolio of 10 companies (each one with its industrial cooperation project) operating in the agribusiness sector. The projects were promoted to Italian companies and Institutions with the aim to identify potential industrial/commercial partners for the Senegalese counterparts.

During the two-month mission (June-July 2007) several Italian companies and Institutions (mainly in Piedmont Region) expressed interested for several Senegalese typical products (processed mango, cashew nut cream, etc), both semi-finished and finished. In recent months, several Italian companies have continued showing interest in the projects identified in Senegal and promoted through the network of the associated companies to CNA TURIN. Therefore, the idea of possible future collaboration between CNA and ADEPME in some activities aiming to promote industrial partnerships between the two countries remains a strong possibility.

In fact, the mission of ADEPME to Italy gave the occasion to establish a first contact with FEDEREXPORT and with UNIDO HQs. After several exchanges of information and a mission of UNIDO HQs to Senegal, ADEPME was associated in the UNIDO programme and 10 companies identified jointly with ITPO were included in the programme together with 6 new ones. These 16 companies were grouped into three consortia according to three different subcategories: juices and jams; cereals and conditionings (purees); nuts and products for the bars.

UGANDA – Delegate: Ms. Hope Prosie Kikabi (May 07 – Jun 07) Sponsoring Institution: Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) The delegate program was a continuation of the functions of the Investment Promotion Unit (IPU) that was formerly operated with the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) in Uganda.

The programme focused on Italy as a source of investment and technology and operated in cooperation with the UNIDO Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Rome - Italy. Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) is a promotion-oriented agency set up in 1991 by the Government of Uganda to attract, promote, and facilitate foreign and local investors. UIA is a one-stopfacilitator to handle investors’ requirement and information or action. UIA’s remit is to promote investment in Uganda, to market the country’s investment opportunities, and target investors all over the world.

An intensive and targeted marketing strategy of Ugandan projects to Italian business community in particular areas (such as leather, textiles, agro-processing and energy) was adopted to search for partners and suppliers of machinery and technology. Out of this promotional campaign, a certain number of business meetings were held with Italian companies interested in investing in Uganda, and those seeking information relating to investment opportunities, both in Rome in collaboration with the Ugandan Embassy, and in Bologna and Milan.

The delegate was able to make the Uganda better known to ITPO staff, including its strategic location and the investment opportunities there. She met and made presentations to various institutions and companies interested in Africa. These included; Assafrica, Confapi, Centre for Agriculture in Bologna, Assolombarda, ANIE Association (Energy), the Business community in the Province of Rome, and IFAD. Some of the companies met included Beschin in leather, Avangeliano Impiantistica in solar energy, Civil Engineering services and African Travel consult.

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Mediterranean Arab Countries

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ITPO ITALY AND THE ARAB-MEDITERRANEAN NETWORK The Mediterranean remains to this day the focus of Italy’s attentions and affection. For this reason, ITPO Italy has a special programme that seeks to promote prosperity around the Mediterranean, as well as helping enterprises and the agencies that assist them to define and enact policies that will help make the footprint of industry smaller, and more benign to the environment. ITPO also seeks cooperation with public bodies that have not only a say in policies but also a knowledge that can be of use, also all around the Mediterranean such as, for example, the Italian Ministry for the Environment, the agencies in other countries that deal with environment, the Kyoto Protocol, its Clean Development Mechanism, and new and renewable sources of energy (NRSE).

Four of the countries of the region, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia have the advantage of an Industrial Promotion Unit (IPU) located within public agencies that promote and assist SMEs. For all these reasons, ITPO Italy activities in these countries are more intense and more important and meaningful. They often imply several promotional events, work on a sectoral basis, more numerous contacts between enterprises, greater attention on the part of the authorities and greater outputs in terms of enterprise cooperation, joint-ventures, exchanges of technology and investments. The pages that follow give the reader greater information on ITPO activities in this most important area of Italy’s concern.

ARAB MEDITERRANEAN SUPPORT UNIT This specific Unit hosted by ITPO Italy, was created in 2006 and assigned the tasks of supporting the HQ’s Arab Mediterranean Network and of coordinating the activities of the ITPOs and the IPUs of the region.

A new software application (CPP-Company Project Profile) was implemented in close collaboration with Headquarters in order to give the Units a new and more modern tool to formulate project proposals that are to be promoted.

During 2007, in close collaboration, and with the assistance ITPO Italy, the Unit gave support to the IPUs in the organization of promotional events in Italy and abroad. In this respect, a delegation of entrepreneurs was organized for an Environmental fair in Egypt in May and another significant delegation of entrepreneurs was assisted during the MENA OECD meeting. The Carthage forum and Siamap in Tunisia were also supported by the Unit who facilitated a delegation of participating entrepreneurs from Italy.

Further interaction between the Unit and ITPO was seen in the organization of and participation in fairs throughout the year. SANA Fair in Bologna in September and ECOMONDO in Rimini in November are amongst the biggest fairs in their respective sectors and the participation of companies from the Mediterranean Region was substantial. Other two very important fairs that the Unit was part of are MIA Fair which deals with the food and beverages Industry and Fiera Avicola, which is another very important event in the poultry industry.

In the last part of the year the Unit was very much focused in raising funds for the continuation of the project. In pursuit of this, it produced a project document meant to be presented to various donors to seek additional funds for the entire network. It also contributed in the Bid for Proposal for Med Invest II along with Headquarters.

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INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES IN EGYPT In terms of entrepreneurial activities, Egypt still represents “the gate” to the Middle East and Africa. Moreover, with over 70 million inhabitants, Egypt has an interesting internal market. There are many dynamic sectors and, at the same time, industries benefit from a low energy cost and reasonable salaries for Egyptian manpower, which, on average is better trained than in many neighbouring countries. Moreover, this country is undergoing a process of liberalization and opening of its economy that is creating new opportunities for local and foreign investors. Within this context, UNIDO ITPO Italy promotes investments and technology transfer in Egypt with the support of the local UNIDO IPU (Investment Promotion Unit), based in Cairo.

In 2007, in concert with the IPU Cairo and the requirements of its local counterpart, the General Authority for Foreign Investments (GAFI), ITPO/IPU concentrated its efforts in some selected sectors such as agribusiness, furniture, and energy and environment that brought good results in terms of private industrial collaboration agreements, and promotional and capacity-building activities.

On November 27th and 28th, the OECD in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and the General Authority for Investment (GAFI), organized the second “MENA Ministerial Meeting and Business Forum”. As a demonstration of their commitment to fostering private investment, UNIDO IPU Egypt in cooperation with GAFI organized a regional parallel multisectoral "business to business" session, focusing on some of the most attracting and promising sectors in the MENA Region. UNIDO ITPO/IPU network selected more than 150 companies that took part in the B2B session. Eight Italian companies selected by ITPO Italy attended the MENA-OECD Ministerial Meeting and Business Forum. Some of these companies are negotiating industrial agreements and an Egyptian company specialized in installing wind energy systems is looking for a local partner in order to produce small wind turbines for the regional market.

Furniture is also one of the most significant productive sectors. Indeed, a long tradition combined with competitive production costs gives to local companies the ability to compete with western market products or to integrate themselves in the production chain of leading international companies. Nevertheless, this step requires investments to meet the standards required and to do this, UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with IPU Cairo, implemented a program to give technical assistance to Egyptian entrepreneurs. During 2006, SNAIDERO Group (Snaidero Engineering and Trading S.p.A.), an Italian company leader in the production of kitchens, conducted an extensive activity of assessment and capacity-building to improve the production quality of more that 25 Egyptian woodworking and furniture-making companies. As a consequence of this programme, in 2007, many of the beneficiaries companies were able to complete their investment projects.

Likewise, the improvement of value-chain in agriculture is one of the priorities of national sectoral policies. For some products, Egyptian companies and foreign investors may benefit from an interesting competitive advantage due to the proximity to a rich demand both from Europe and the Gulf area. Agriculture is one of the strategic sectors of the country and is undergoing a rapid process of modernization. This process increases the capital, technology, and know-how needs of local private companies. Within this framework, UNIDO is implementing in Egypt the E-trace program supporting local companies in the implementation of traceability systems with the aim of improving their competitiveness. In September 2007, UNIDO ITPO Italy and IPU Cairo gave support to the E-trace program in a study-tour done in Italy that combined formal training sessions and site visits with the participation to the trade fair SANA. Moreover, UNIDO ITPO Italy also gave assistance to a delegation of 9 Egyptian companies that took part in the trade fair Fieravicola by organizing a B2B session to meet potential interesting counterparts.

Finally, in line with the priorities identified by UNIDO HQ and the IPU Cairo, Energy and Environment have become fundamental sectors for 2007. Indeed, along with Morocco, Egypt is one of the target countries of ITPO/MinAmb project aimed at reinforcing ITPO Italy/IPU capabilities in the identification and promotion of environmental projects.

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INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES IN JORDAN

Jordan can count on a favourable position in the centre of the Middle East, on its good infrastructures, and on stable relationships with the other countries of the area. The most promising sectors in recent years have been: the dimension stone, high quality olive oil production, Dead Sea cosmetics, and garments –especially for the US market. Another sector with good potentials is ITC. It is important to acknowledge the dynamism of the Jordanian government that led to the conclusion of important agreements with foreign countries. Of particular relevance is the US– Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that supports the commercial exchanges between Jordan and USA and the increase in the export of Jordanian products to the US market. Other commercial agreements have been signed with countries of the Mediterranean area. Furthermore, the Great Arab Trade Agreement (GAFTA) allows the free exchange of products among the member countries through the elimination of commercial barriers and customs tariffs. Jordan has further created a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) aiming at developing coasts and internal areas through the elimination of customs duties and the creation of efficient connections to the seaport, located within the main industrial zone.

In this framework, UNIDO ITPO Italy, with the support of the IPU Jordan, provides free assistance to Jordanian companies seeking partners in Italy, and to Italian companies interested in starting-up industrial activities in Jordan by providing the following services: scouting of investment opportunities, organization of B2B meetings, assistance during the negotiations, financial-economic evaluation of projects, and preparation of technical documents for obtaining funding.

In this sense, a huge number of activities have been organised jointly with local IPU, as briefly listed below: MENA Countries Women Business Forum. Women entrepreneurs are a strong, vibrant, and steadily growing reality in Italy as well as in Arab Mediterranean countries. Nonetheless, women entrepreneurship needs to be supported to become an important ingredient in the economic development of emerging countries. To this end, the Italian Ministry for International Trade organized in Milan, from 5th to 6th March 2007, the MENA Countries’ Women Business Forum.

Representatives of the women’s business community from 19 countries including Italy, took part in the event with the scope of creating profitable business relations and boosting their respective economies. The Forum received the support of paramount Italian Institutions, starting with the Presidency of the Republic and the Council of Ministers, that saw in women entrepreneurs one of the keys to build a more open and equal society. In this framework, UNIDO ITPO Italy supported IPU Jordan in the recruitment of reliable Italian companies interested in approaching the Jordan market and 5 Italian companies met the UNIDO IPU Jordan delegation during the B2B session.

FIERAVICOLA. From September 26 to 29, UNIDO ITPO Italy participated in Fieravicola accompanying a delegation of Egyptian and Jordanian entrepreneurs. The fair had a very specific target focusing on two main topics, namely, the poultry and rabbit markets. Products presented at the fair ranged from machinery to process animals, feeds, pharmaceutical products, to transport solutions for animals. Three Jordanian entrepreneurs participate, benefiting from ITPO assistance during the B2B session.

MARMOMACC. During this fair, UNIDO ITPO Italy organized a three-day B2B session in order to encourage the creation of joint-ventures, subcontracting agreements, and technology transfers.

Within this framework, after an initial phase of identification and selection of business opportunities, ITPO Italy gathered about 40 Italian and 14 foreign companies operating in the extraction and processing of stone as well as in the supply technology and equipment. Three Jordanian companies participated, having the opportunity to explain the main features and potential of Jordanian stone and marble sectors to this Italian and International audience. In all, about 30 business meetings were arranged for the Jordanian delegation.

As a result of these promotional activities, 4 projects were concluded, another 3 are under implementation, and 2 are already operational.

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INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES IN MOROCCO

Morocco is a natural bridge between Western countries and the Arab world. The country can be divided into two main areas: the central plain, a fertile area well irrigated by several rivers, and the Atlas Mountains, partly a desert and partly an agricultural area. The country is rich in economic resources, particularly in agriculture and mining. In recent years, Morocco reached important economic results creating a stable and balanced economy.

UNIDO ITPO Italy promotes Investments and technology transfer in Morocco with the support of UNIDO IPU Morocco, strategically located within the National Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium Enterprises (ANPME). Similar programmes exist in Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan. They all feature a technical component, an Industrial Promotion Office managed by UNIDO, combined with a soft loan facility (in the past Art. 7 Law 49/89, now complemented by other sources of finance), and the provision of services to SMEs. With the support of the Investment Promotion Unit, UNIDO ITPO Italy offers free assistance to Moroccan companies seeking Italian partners and to Italian companies interested in starting-up industrial activities in Morocco. UNIDO ITPO Italy promotes Foreign Direct Investment and the creation of partnerships between Moroccan and European companies with the objective of reinforcing the competitiveness of the local industrial system.

To this end, in collaboration with IPU Morocco, the Office of UNIDO Representative in Morocco and UNIDO HQ in Vienna, ITPO Italy implemented in 2007 specific programmes, at national and regional level, in crucial sectors of the Moroccan economy such as agro-food, textile and clothing, leather, tanning, marble, ceramics, electricity and electronics, and environment and renewable energies.

During this year, about 70 industrial cooperation opportunities were promoted among the Italian business community and numerous activities were carried out to boost investment flows to the country as well as to enhance local public/private Institutions in charge of supporting industrial development. Among others, it is worth mentioning the massive numbers of entrepreneurial delegations organized in Morocco and Italy on occasion of technical fairs such as Autopromotec 2007, Marmomacc, Fierte 2007, Ecomondo, Salon International de l'Agriculture du Maroc, and Pollutec.

Furthermore, UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with IPU Morocco and AMITH, strengthened the economic and industrial relations between Italian and Moroccan companies operating in the textileclothing sector by organizing the participation of an Italian delegation at the sixth edition of MAROC SOURCING, the most important specialized fair in Morocco. The feedback on the initiative was significant. Many important Italian firms such as Diesel, Nuna Lie, Daritex, and Miti participated.

The first assessment of the business session was also positive. About 70 encounters occurred and many cooperation proposals were vented, as well as the huge potential for complementarities between the two sides of Mediterranean basin.

Likewise, from a technical assistance standpoint, the study tour on Italian Industrial Consortia, organized by the ITPO in collaboration with UNIDO HQs and the Office of UNIDO Representative in Morocco, is worth mentioning. High Officials of the Ministère de l’Industrie, du Commerce et des Nouvelles Technologies, Ministère du Commerce Extérieur, ASMEX (Association Marocaine des Exportateurs) and FEDIC (Fédération des Entreprises du Cuir) took part in the informative session and in the study tour aimed at showing how common and economically relevant industrial districts are to the Italian economy.

As a result of the promotional activities implemented, 25 industrial projects are at the moment under negotiation with Italian counterparts and 2 agreements were concluded.

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INVESTMENT PROMOTION ACTIVITIES IN TUNISIA

UNIDO ITPO Italy promotes Investments and technology transfer in Tunisia with the support of UNIDO IPU Tunis, located within the Agence de Promotion de l’Industrie (API). Similar programmes exist in Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan. They all feature a technical component, an Industrial Promotion Office managed by UNIDO, combined with a soft loan facility (in the past Art. 7 Law 49/89, now complemented by other sources of finance), and services to SMEs. With the support of the Investment Promotion Unit, UNIDO ITPO Italy offers free assistance to Tunisian companies seeking Italian partners and to Italian companies interested in starting-up industrial activities in Tunisia. UNIDO ITPO Italy promotes Foreign Direct Investment and the creation of partnerships between Tunisian and European companies with the objective of reinforcing the competitiveness of the local industrial system. The Office assists Tunisian entrepreneurs by facilitating economic cooperation between industrial associations, consortia, and individual companies.

UNIDO ITPO Italy assisted several Tunisian entrepreneurial delegations in their participation to prominent Italian fairs. The main fairs in Italy in 2007 were: MIA for the agrofood sector, with 10 Tunisian companies taking part, SANA for natural products and ECOMONDO for energy and environment, with 5 participating companies. Following the positive outcomes of the market study carried out in 2006, in terms of business opportunities for the retreaded tyres sector, ITPO Italy participated to AUTOPROMOTEC, where Tunisian companies met several Italian counterparts. As a result of this activity, two projects are under negotiation.

UNIDO ITPO Italy visited the Plastics and Rubber Industrial District in Rovigo to present industrial opportunities in Tunisia. The District is located in Veneto Region and groups more than 200 companies, potentially interested in finding subcontracting partners.

UNIDO ITPO Italy took part in two remarkable events in Tunisia. The Carthage Investment Forum is organized every year by the Tunisian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency- FIPA, under the auspices of the Ministry of Development and International Cooperation. The 9th edition of the Forum took place in June 2007. UNIDO ITPO Italy and IPU Tunis, together with Eurosportello Veneto, API Industria Padova, and Eurosportello Napoli, scouted 22 Italian companies and 5 institutional representatives that participated in the Forum. Some of the Italian participating companies have started the negotiation of industrial/commercial projects with Tunisian partners and two projects were already concluded during 2007.

UNIDO ITPO Italy and UNIDO IPU Tunisia assisted ten Italian companies and three company associations to participate in the 9th edition of SIAMAP, The International Show of Agriculture, Agricultural Machinery, and Fisheries. For the Italian companies participating under the coordination of UNIDO, personalised business meetings were organised with over 50 Tunisian counterparts, selected among a portfolio of 70 projects. Among the selected Tunisian projects, there were several opportunities for investment, commercial exchange, and technology transfer, in fields ranging from cooling chain to the transformation of agricultural products, conventional and biological agriculture, fishing, as well as renewable sources of energy.

More than 70 Tunisian projects were promoted in 2007 and, as a result of these promotional activities, 14 projects are currently under negotiation, 5 projects were concluded, and 2 projects are being implemented.

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Other Regions and Countries of Intervention

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LATIN AMERICA

In the last decade, the Latin American countries have made considerable efforts for a transition from closed economies to market economies, which led to economic growth based on stable macroeconomic policies. This economic growth witnessed in Latin America and the subsequent development of an increasingly solid fabric of SMEs has led to the creation of a nascent internationalisation services market. Business services are mainly offered by government-funded organisations in response to an increasing political will to help integrate their economies in the globalisation process. UNIDO and UNIDO ITPO Italy play a pioneering role in this process in Latin America.

Our office interacts with many sectoral associations and companies to link the Italian industrial sector with SMEs from the Latin American Region by supporting with both assistance and appropriate information and services. UNIDO ITPO Italy relies on UNIDO Regional offices as well as on Chambers of Commerce, Associations, and also the Eurocenters from the AL-Invest network. In particular UNIDO ITPO Italy started last year a fruitful cooperation with the new ITPO established in Mexico, that intends to benefit local and regional entrepreneurs and Italian companies.

In recent years, ITPO Italy has already implemented programmes in countries like Mexico, Cuba and Argentina. At present, ITPO Italy participates in the Argentina Programme to Recovery the Industrial Sector and to support of Argentinean SMEs, and collaborates with the Uruguayan Programme to support the SME sector in Uruguay to access export markets.

UNIDO ITPO Italy is also member of the EU- AL-Invest Programme, oriented to develop and promote long term commercial agreements, technology transfers, joint ventures, and other types of collaboration involving European and Latin American companies. This programme consists of a network of operators from Europe and Latin America that co-operate to facilitate the flow of information on industrial cooperation and investment opportunities.

ARGENTINA In October 2002, UNIDO started a broad action of Recovery of the Argentine Industrial sector consisting of the following programmes: the Programme of Modernization of SMEs to facilitate better access to credit and export markets. Among the productive sectors offering major opportunities are: food industry, dairy products, wood processing, natural cosmetics, mining, manufacture of leather and footwear and machinery for agriculture.

In the framework of this Programme, UNIDO ITPO Italy is carrying on promotion activities in Italy and Europe through country presentations, study tours, fairs, and exhibitions. In particular during 2007, our office supported this country in the agro machinery producers and cosmetic and beauty care through the promotion of strategic alliances in the most relevant international trade fairs. .

CHILE The favourable economic trends, helped by Chilean economic stability, offer a good opportunity to strengthen SME development. Chile, through its pursuit of liberalization policies regarding international trade and investments, appears to foreign entrepreneurs as a platform on which to base investments and services for the Southern Cone.

Further, the emphasis given to the spread of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and industrial clusters would offer broad opportunities to Italian entrepreneurs.

Starting from the end of this year, UNIDO will collaborate with CORFO, the Chilean Agency for Economic Development, with the aim of promoting opportunities to invest and exchange technology.

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URUGUAY Jointly with the National Directorate of Artisans and Small and Medium Enterprises of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mines (DINAMPYME), ITPO Italy contributes to the implementation of project for the support of SMEs financed by the Italian Cooperation. The project is aimed at making local SMEs more competitive, enhancing product quality and access to international markets. The project targets inland areas of the country and key sectors of the Uruguayan economy. Particular attention is given to promotion of the agro-food sector, the phytotherapy drugs and phytocosmetic products.

MEXICO After a stabilization and transition phase, Mexico is experiencing a period of significant economic recovery helped by considerable foreign investments. UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with ITPO Mexico intends to boost cooperation between local entrepreneurs and Italian companies. To this end, in collaboration with ITPO Mexico, UNIDO is organizing the “Foreign Investment Forum� which will be held in Mexico City at the end of 2008. The country is very interested in diversifying its business relationships, with particular attention towards Europe and Italy. The most interesting sectors are: aeronautics, automation components, shoe industry, and electronics.

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ASIA INDIA ITPO Italy has provided its contribution since 2006 to an important 3-year project with India, which aims at fostering the development of SME. This project works through three components, namely: •

cluster twinning,

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foreign investment and technology promotion, and

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mutual credit guarantee schemes.

The project is financed for an amount of about 3.000.000 Euro by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, it has a duration of three years, and the Ministry of Small-Scale Industries is the Indian institutional counterpart.

ITPO Italy has worked to identify any potentially interested Italian counterparts to participate in this project and to cooperate with Indian SMEs and clusters. During 2007, the main contribution of ITPO Italy has been to help to define the strategic guidelines of the project, during and after the second Project Steering Committee held in Delhi in February 2007. Three sectors were identified leather footwear, leather tanning, and auto-parts – with an intervention in the geographical areas of Chennai, Pune, Delhi in India, and the Marche, Tuscany, and Piedmont in Italy.

ITPO Italy also contributed to organise the event and later participated in the signing ceremony of the first planned MOUs between UNIONCAMERE MARCHE and the INDIAN SHOE FEDERATION in Chennai, to enhance cooperation in the leather footwear sector.

Furthermore, ITPO Italy has been responsible for the Institutional Relations in Italy by developing and managing potential counterparts, such as Assoconciatori (association of tanneries) in Tuscany, Unionfidi (association of mutual guarantee institutions) in Piedmont, and AIFI (association of financial institutions) in Lombardy.

The year’s activities culminated with the participation in an Indian delegation road-show organized by the CLE together with A.C.Ri.B. and Confindustria Fermo, respectively in Veneto and Marche regions.

CHINA In recent years, China has been very attractive to the Italian business community and since 1993 UNIDO ITPO Italy has been active there.

Industrial investment in China was promoted through: •

Organization of specific promotional events, such as seminars and conferences;

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Assistance to Chinese delegations in Italy and to companies investing in China.

The Office also provided information and assistance to firms interested in evaluating the possibility of receiving funds, through art. 7 of Italian Law n.49/1987, for joint venture investments (only one recent case).

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Furthermore, ITPO Italy finalised in 2007 an economic and financial analysis of a New Chinese Enterprise (NCE) business plan, within the framework of a general agreement with the Chamber of Commerce (CCIAA) of Pordenone to jointly promote new investment projects for industrial companies in developing countries.

On the basis of this relationship, ITPO was designated by the CCIAA as a service provider, in particular to assist with project appraisal within a joint program financed by ICE. This venture concluded a feasibility study to analyze and evaluate the feasibility for five Italian companies to enter the Chinese market by jointly incorporating and managing a New Chinese Enterprise (NCE).

The NCE is meant to operate in mechanics and plastic moulding. At the beginning, the main objective of NCE would be the management of commercial relationships between the five Italian companies and their suppliers and customers. If things went well, the possibility of making an investment in production might also be examined.

The activity started in 2006 with the organization of operational meetings, with several visits to the companies to meet and get to know their management and to collect all information and data necessary for the analysis. After having collected all needed information, data were processed and the economic and financial analysis was concluded in 2007 by using COMFAR III Expert software, using UNIDO methodology for the appraisal of the investment project.

ITPO Italy also organised a business meeting in Milan and an institutional one in Rome to promote the Guangxi region’s investment opportunities in mechanics and silk, specifically. Finally, ITPO Italy organized an ad hoc Seminar to help build capacity for a group of Chinese Officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Finance Departments of 8 Chinese Provinces involved in Official Development Assistance. This seminar took place within the framework of a training program financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Training Consortium (CFI). The main objective of the seminar was the presentation of UNIDO ITPO Italy’s Investment Promotion management and technical assistance for industrial projects, with a particular focus on its Environment and Energy program related to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol.

MONGOLIA ITPO Italy renewed in 2007 its interest in supporting the growth of Mongolian textile sector at international level. Indeed, the importance of the cashmere industry to the Mongolian economy is clear: it provides income and employment for over a third of the population. Raw cashmere and cashmere products are Mongolia’s third largest export. A vibrant cashmere industry has the potential to contribute to the growth of the economy, to the manufacturing sector, to employment at both the herder and manufacturing levels, and to exports. Within this context, opportunities in wool fabrics and garments, and in particular the production of cashmere items, were promoted by ITPO Italy during meetings with several Italian business associations.

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SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA In recent years, UNIDO ITPO Italy has enhanced its support to the economic development of Sub-Saharan Africa, an interesting area for the creation of economic partnerships and the promotion of foreign investment.

In 2007, the activities carried out by the office were focused on attracting more attention to the continent and multiplying efforts to have Italian companies take advantage of the economic opportunities offered by African markets and resources. Some Italian institutions – that UNIDO ITPO has already contacted - have already expressed their interest for the area.

The activities carried forward by UNIDO ITPO Italy aim to attract foreign investment and develop technical and managerial capacities, necessary to start up a process of sustainable development having a positive social impact. In particular, their objectives are to: •

improve the investment climate at the economic, legal, and administrative levels;

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facilitate the access to international financing through the enhancement of services offered by financing institutions and by identifying new and more efficient soft-loan schemes;

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develop local entrepreneurship, attract FDI, and strengthen public private partnerships; and,

•

facilitate the transfer of know-how and expertise for capacity-building activities to local institutions involved in the promotion of the economic and productive systems of African countries.

As an example, the intense joint promotional activities of ITPO Italy and the delegates from Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Uganda allowed major Italian business institutions to get acquainted with the new African investment climate and orient the interest of their associated companies to a continent offering huge investment opportunities.

In this sense, UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with the University of Rome-La Sapienza, started researching the presence of Italian SMEs in Africa, as well as opportunities and constraints perceived by them in their approach to Africa. Given the widely recognized potential of foreign investment for accelerating the continent’s industrial development, the study reviews existing government programs and instruments intended to favour Italian companies and enhance their capacity to support industrialization processes in Africa, thus accelerating the continent’s economic growth.

An important feature of the study is the involvement of several actors, such as banks, financial institutions, investment promotion bodies, and business associations. Their participation spawned a dynamic process of exchange of information, papers, knowledge, best practices, and practical experiences in the continent, as well as improving their ability to interface with each other and with companies. Furthermore, the plurality of points of view will ensure a broader set of propositions for increasing the presence of Italian SMEs and, thus, investment and technology flows towards Africa.

Among the issues that emerged in the working group, there is the need for more precise and better quality of information about business opportunities in Africa, to be designed for, and addressed to small and medium-sized companies. Public and private institutions need to have a proactive attitude and a practical approach in selecting and presenting projects to Italian companies. It has been noticed that the small dimension of Italian companies, often mentioned as a limit to international expansion, can facilitate the dialogue and collaboration with African enterprises, since the ubiquity of SMEs makes the local entrepreneurial tissue similar in size and other characteristics, to the Italian one.

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The results of the study will be spread to small and medium enterprises, highlighting the opportunities offered by the continent, on the basis of information collected through the abovementioned activities. Opportunities and threats will be presented through examples of success stories, best practice, and the investment experiences of companies that have already invested in Africa.

OECD Expert meeting “Developing Technical Skills in Africa”, Paris 10 December 2007 UNIDO ITPO Italy participated in the expert seminar “Developing Technical Skills in Africa”, jointly organized by the OECD Development Centre and the African Development Bank, to present UNIDO experiences in the field of technical training to institutions and SMEs. The meeting was meant to provide various contributions to frame the special theme for 2008 of the African Economic Outlook. The African Economic Outlook (AEO) is a joint report of the African Development Bank, the OECD Development Centre, and UNECA, which provides a review of the recent economic and social trends of 35 African countries.

The meeting recognised the importance of technical education and vocational training (TVET), especially in a global context where private companies cut investment in training as a response to increasing international competition. Furthermore, a general failure of implementing countries and donors in linking TVET with industrial development (the demand by enterprises) has been reported in relation to existing activities and programmes. It has been recognised that TVET should be “people centred”, based on the needs of enterprises, and focused on “employability “of trained people, as a key indicator of the marketability of acquired skills.

UNIDO training activities stand as a positive experience in this scenario for their characteristics of being responsive to locally identified needs, bound to international development opportunities, linked to industrial investment and promotion activities, and inclusive of all actors involved in the “value chain” of investment and SMEs promotion.

International Conference “Exchange – Platform for the transfer of methodologies and technologies in favour of developing countries”, Rome 5 December 2007 The Lazio Region and the Province of Rome organised the International Conference “Exchange” to promote a platform for the transfer of methodologies and technologies in favour of developing countries. The conference developed along 5 parallel workshops: •

Local governance and national unity in cooperation issues

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Advanced pharmaceuticals and biotechnological sector

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Food safety and water resources

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ICT: the use of new technologies to foster the inclusion of marginal groups in the information society

•

Renewable energies and biotechnologies

UNIDO ITPO joined the first workshop to present its experience on women entrepreneurs in Africa, stressing the importance of the promotion of women to achieve poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals. UNIDO ITPO Italy’s intervention focused on the impact of female participation to the labour market on their households and communities, the drivers and constrains behind the decision to start a productive activity, and the characteristics of women-run enterprises.

The factors limiting the productivity and growth of female SMEs were analysed and related to the UNIDO Integrated Approach for gender-based programmes and activities.

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EASTERN EUROPE SERBIA Taking stock of the project “Institutional support and capacity-building measures to enhance the role of the Serbian agency for the development of smes & entrepreneurship” The project “Institutional Support and Capacity-Building Measures to Enhance the Role of the Serbian Agency for the Development of SMEs & Entrepreneurship” - carried out by UNIDO ITPO Italy and supported by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regione Lazio, and Provincia di Bologna – officially ended on December 31st.

Within the project, UNIDO ITPO Italy carried-out activities related to investment promotion of Serbian SMEs and the upgrading of the Agency’s Integrated Information System. As one of the main outcomes of promotion activities in 2007, four projects, previously identified and promoted by ITPO staff through the event “Italy – Serbia, The Road to Investment” were concluded and three are already operational. Likewise, a new website for the Serbian Agency was designed and created, as well as an intranet, a multi-media information DVD, and various other ICT-based products.

Nonetheless, main focus of the ITPO Italy was the implementation of capacity-building activities intended to strengthen the role of the Serbian Agency in supporting SMEs both at national and international level.

In this regard, it is worth mentioning that on 6 May 2007, a training session was organized by ITPO staff with the aim to transfer to 10 officers of the Serbian Agency theoretical and practical know-how about investment promotion. Contents of the session were: project identification and evaluation; project formulation (IIPP - Industrial Investment Project Profile); promotion and follow-up of projects; how to manage information on identified opportunities: ITPO Italy’s interactive database. Methodology, instruments, procedures, and documents were analysed exchanging with participants points of view and experiences and assessing together how to implement this methodology at the Agency.

On 7 May 2007, through the Support Unit in Serbia, ITPO Italy held a conference in Belgrade, entitled “Renewable fuels – Road to Energy Independence” to illustrate how Kyoto Protocol CDM Mechanisms are currently used in projects involving bio-fuels. The conference was aimed at monitoring current trends and developments in the renewable energy market and analyzing the utilization of ethanol and bio-diesel. More than 100 qualified personalities from the local business community and institutional stakeholders (government, academia, etc.) attended the conference.

The two topics of renewable energy and investment promotion were taken up on occasion of the programs organized for two delegates (Ms Snezana Filipovic and Mr. Milan Vujovic) of the Serbian Agency hosted in Rome by the ITPO in the period 8 October-16 November 2007. The period was, mainly, a good opportunity for promoting Serbian industry and create useful contacts for future collaboration with Italian operators.

ITPO Italy provided Ms. Filipovic with ad-hoc information on alternative renewable energy sources. In particular, she acquired knowledge on the benefits related to the improvement of renewable energies exploitation within industrial production systems (reduction of pollutant emissions, self-sustainability, lower cost, etc.). Several plant visits were organized to gather information on: management of forestry biomass resources; production of energy from wood waste; selection and treatment of non-organic Municipal Solid Wastes; energy production from agro-industry biomass. With the ITPO assistance, Ms. Filipovic presented also a document on renewable energy sources in Serbia at ECOMONDO 2007 - the 11th International Trade Fair on Material & Energy Recovery and Sustainable Development -, in order to inform the Italian business community concerned with sustainable industrial development about the Serbian 30

firms’ needs for technologies in this sector, and thus facilitate potential industrial partnerships between Italian and Serbian SMEs. With regard to Mr. Milan Vujovic, his visit was focused on UNIDO investment promotion methodology, applied to previously selected investment projects in the agro-food and wood/furniture sectors. He was assisted during a learning-by-doing mission aimed to support the Serbian companies during their research for commercial and/or industrial partners in the food and wood/furniture sectors. The promotion of Serbian projects was organized through specific meetings with institutions and Italian companies operating in the sectors of interest.

During these meetings, the delegate, assisted by the ITPO staff, had the opportunity to present and describe in details Serbian companies’ proposals of partnership and the general investment climate.

During 2007, UNIDO ITPO Italy organized two study tours for the Serbian Agency: one in Bologna (3–6 September 2007) and one in Rome (10-12 December 2007). More details are available in the highlights section.

The first study tour, organized for 7 delegates of the Serbian Agency at Confidi EmiliaRomagna HQs, consisted of a technical training on economic/financial appraisal (balance sheet analysis, financial reporting, etc.) aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Agency in terms of evaluating SMEs from a financial point of view, and on credit guarantee funds as a solution to SMEs’ credit access difficulties. In particular, it provided the occasion for the delegation to acquire detailed information on CONFIDI - the most successful Italian example of a guarantee scheme -, to discuss how to set-up a similar system in Serbia, and to launch an idea of possible future collaboration for joint activities in Serbia leading to improved access to credit for SMEs. A second study tour on the Italian industrial system and its main institutional and private actors was organized by ITPO Italy for 9 delegates of the Serbian Agency, some of the Regional Agencies, and staff of the Agency’s parent ministry (Ministry of International Economic Relations). Based on the common concern for SME development of the members of the delegation, the first two days of the study tour were dedicated to the most representative Italian institutions dealing with the question of industrial development. Despite being of significant interest for the Serbian delegation, these meetings were unquestionably useful for highlighting the needs of the Serbian economic system, in terms of financial instruments, business infrastructures, restructuring of the chambers system, and coordination among institutions in charge of SME support. The last day was used for visiting the production plants of two important agro-food industries located in the Lazio Region. The Italian agro-industry is of great interest for Serbia, since the Serbian agro-food sector is a promising one, and Italy has a wide experience in food processing and can document many uses best practice in the sector.

Besides specific training activities and study tours, ITPO Italy also sponsored the participation of 7 members of the Serbian Agency to the Training Workshop on COMFAR III Expert (Computer Model for Feasibility Analysis and Reporting), organized at UNIDO headquarters in Vienna. The workshop was attended by two groups from the Serbian agency: the first one of 2 persons (15-28 April), the second one of 5 persons (23 September - October 8). ITPO Italy supported also all related costs (travel, accommodation, meals, etc.) and at the end of the course, ITPO Italy provided the Serbian Agency with the license for five workstations for the software package.

The concluding meeting aimed at taking stock and discussing the outcomes of the project was held in Belgrade on January 16th and 17th 2008. From the Serbian Agency side, the General Director, Mr. Dejan Jovanovic, and the Executive Director, Ms. Ana Zegarac took part in the meeting. At this meeting, Mr. Dejanovic expressed satisfaction about activities carried out and achievements, and stated his willingness to continue the collaboration with ITPO Italy in the future.

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Special Investment Promotion Programmes

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ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

There is still widespread belief that environmental protection should / may require curtailment of growth and development rather than an expansion of economic opportunities. Indeed, keeping the current patterns of growth in energy demand and utilization of resources will probably lead to an environmental degradation that would undermine prospects for long-term economic and social development, offsetting short-term gains in poverty reduction. On the contrary, given certain conditions, investing in the environment can offer high returns not only in social but also in economic terms. In 1992, at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) held in Rio de Janeiro, the participating States agreed on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). According to these targets, the principles of sustainable development must be included into country policies and programmes in order to reverse the loss of environmental resources.

In fact, population and economic growth are challenging the capacity of the planet to support life and there are many clear signals of the need of modifying present patterns of production and consumption. While developed countries are trying improve the overall efficiency of their economies, in the near future, developing countries will dramatically increase their use of resources to improve the living conditions of their populations.

On the other hand, other important trends must be taken into consideration. The development of new environmental standards (compulsory or voluntary), the appearance of more stringent environmental laws and regulations, the growth of markets for new property rights or assets directly linked to the environment (e.g. titles of emission reductions) and, greater sensitivity of people towards environmental issues point to strong implications for industry. These changes, multiplied and spread by globalization, have consequences over traditional business models both in developed and developing countries.

Within this framework, ITPO Italy’s Energy and Environment program contributes to sustainable industrial development in developing countries with activities aimed at creating the conditions for the transfer of technology, know-how, managerial skills, and other resources and promoting investments (local or foreign) in projects that may reduce the environmental impact of industrial production and/or intend to supply environmentally-preferred goods or services to the market.

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT: CHALLENGE OR OPPORTUNITY? In 2007, UNIDO ITPO Italy worked to reinforce the concept of environment and environmental protection not only as a challenge but also an opportunity for companies in developing countries. In these countries the environment is often seen as a burden that slows industrial and economic development and, thus, poverty reduction and job creation.

Even though in many cases the costs of reducing the environmental impact of human activities is high, there are some important drivers that may more than compensate these higher costs by creating value and improving the strategic positioning of private companies from developing countries in global markets.

In recent years, we have been facing a substantial transformation in the demand patterns of the richest markets, as consumers tend to integrate the concept of “environmental quality” to the general perception of the overall “quality” of the product. But there is also a complete new demand for products that are able to show not only an intrinsic quality but also that their production respects the environment and takes into consideration labour and social rights. Economists have called these new public dimensions of goods “merit goods”. At the same time, big multinational companies operating in these rich markets require their suppliers to comply with rigorous standards if they want to be part of their supply chain. In this way, these rules became a practical obligation even in those countries that may have lighter or non-existent environmental or social regulations.

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This movement is often referred to as “corporate social responsibility”, another potential case of the principal/agent problem (shareholders may want profits maximized, managers want to be seen a good corporate citizens). In this context, and taking into consideration that requirements for higher environmental standards are being set also in developing countries, the business of environmentally-preferable goods and services is showing a huge growth potential. ITPO Italy collaborated with institutions in some selected developing countries in order to give some of these intuitions the practical and methodological instruments to help SMEs in their countries deal with these new demands that present at the same time a great challenge or risk, that of being excluded from rich markets, but also a huge opportunity for both making money and improving the environment.

At present, goods and services produced by the ecosystems are starting to be considered not as common and free goods, but as real assets with their own defined market value. In this context, private companies are starting to adopt this new way of thinking and operating because it is economically convenient to them: they would be more competitive and their income would increase. The keyword is efficiency, that is to say that it is possible to produce the same amount of wealth and simultaneously to reduce quantity of energy and raw materials needed to produce the same output.

Later in 2007, ITPO Italy participated in the organization of some business meetings (B2B) and either directly or through its partners, mobilized companies from Italy and from selected developing countries to participate in this kind of events. In many cases, the B2B sessions were held within some of the most important fairs of the sector and this allowed participating companies, especially those from developing countries, to get first hand information on market trends and learn of the latest technological improvements within their fields of interest. With the assistance of UNIDO, this improved information translated into a more accurate assessment of eventual investments in their own companies or in a more interesting investment opportunity for potential external investors.

Fairs and exhibitions attended (Italy and Abroad) SEP Pollution 2007, Padua, Italy, 19 – 21 April 2007 ENVIRONMENT 2007, Cairo, Egypt, 21 – 23 May 2007 ECOMONDO 2007, Rimini, Italy, 7th – 10th November 2007 FIERTE, Rabat, Morocco, 15th – 17th November 2007 ENVIROMAROC 2007, Casablanca, 24th – 26th October 2007 POLLUTEC / ECOTAPE, Paris, France, 27th – 30th October 2007 As a result of these promotional activities, 5 projects were concluded for a total value of US$ 5,22 million creating 40 new jobs.

ENERGY AND NEW AND RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY (NRSE) Energy has been a central theme of UNIDO’s work with its programmes addressing both the supply (provision of energy for industry, use of renewable energy resources) and the demand sides (improving industrial energy end-use efficiency). Many UNIDO activities are aimed at solving two fundamental problems: Reducing the income elasticity of energy (reducing energy intensity of GDP); and, Reducing the environmental impact of energy production and utilization.

In 2007, ITPO Italy participated in many specific activities aimed at promoting the development of renewable energies in developing countries and at increasing the efficiency of energy utilization in industrial and civil buildings. In fact, UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with the IPU Rabat, gave technical assistance for the financial assessment of an investment project of two Moroccan companies that were evaluating the possibility of applying to a special financial facility available in the country for the local production of solar water heaters to supply this technology with at more competitive prices to the local market.

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In January, UNIDO ITPO Italy organized, along with UNESCO-BRESCE, a workshop in Rome devoted to present trends and opportunities in renewable energy in the MENA countries and Eastern Europe. With the participation of a qualified audience of Italian private companies and Universities, the presentation shifted attention towards some of the most interesting recent developments in the above countries.

The NGO, SAFE (Environmental Sustainability Energy Sources) which manage a Master of Arts (MA) in Energy Management, invited UNIDO ITPO Italy to make a presentation about “Private Investment Promotion for Sustainable Development – Alternative Energy Sources: new opportunities and technological challenges” that was held in Rome in July. After this presentation, in an effort to get research closer to industry with particular reference to the problems of developing countries, ITPO Italy started a collaboration with SAFE that led to the joint organization of a seminar within the trade fair ECOMONDO 2007. That seminar, “The Energy Transition from Fossil Fuels to Alternative Sources” (7th November), was conducted with the collaboration of Mediterranean IPUs and UNIDO HQs. ITPO Italy invited qualified speakers to the seminar, to give an overview of problems and opportunities in the transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, particularly in Italy and south Mediterranean countries. During the session “Perspectives for the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Mediterranean area”, Eng. Ismail Amin (NREA - Egyptian National Renewable Energy Agency), Dr. Mohamed Berdai (CDER Moroccan Renewable Energy Development Centre), and Dr. Malek Kabariti (President, Jordan National Energy Research Centre) presented challenges and opportunities for the development of renewable energy in their countries and in the MENA Region. Moreover, during the fair, Mr. Kabariti, Mr. Raouf Dabbas (Senior Adviser, Jordan Ministry for the Environment), and Mr. Ramzi Maayatah (Greater Amman Municipality) presented the regional forum “Sustainable Cities in the Mediterranean” scheduled for 2008 in Jordan.

Renewable energy and energy efficiency were important fields of activity in 2007. The Istituto per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo (ICS – Institute for Development Cooperation) from Alessandria requested the collaboration of UNIDO ITPO Italy/IPU Rabat in the organization of a delegation of Italian companies to participate in a mission to Rabat to take part in the trade fair FIERTE 2007.

According to the agreed action plan, ITPO Italy was invited to participate to two presentations, one each in Alessandria and Turin (27th and 28th September respectively) about “Prospects and Opportunities within renewable energy, buildings, and water technology in Morocco” aimed at introducing UNIDO ITPO/IPU’s mission, general programmes, and activities in Morocco to the business community including, in particular, the delegation preparing to attend FIERTE. About 25 Italian companies took part in the mission that was held in November and included B2B meetings and the option of participating in specific thematic seminars.

In collaboration with ITPO Paris, UNIDO ITPO Italy/IPU Rabat took part in one of the most important international, entrepreneurial meetings for enterprises in environmental activities. From October 27th to 30th, Italian and Moroccan companies participated in the trade fair Pollutec / Ecotape where ITPO Paris organized a B2B session for companies coming from Morocco, Latin America and Europe.

From 8th October to 16th November, within the framework of the support program to the Serbian Agency for the Development of SMEs, a study tour was prepared for a staff member of the Agency on the utilization of agriculture and forestry products and by-products for energy generation. In Italy, there are well-developed and tested technologies for the utilization of different kinds of biomass as primary source for the generation of renewable energy. Our program was aimed at training a trainer in the possible application of these technologies and business models in Serbia.

We were later informed that, in November 2007 the staff member we trained gave a lecture in Belgrade entitled “Renewable sources of energy in Serbia and Italian experience in the sector" during the fair “Biznis Baza”.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND KYOTO PROTOCOL Thanks to national and international regulations, there are new economic (investment, commercial, trading) opportunities in the acquisition and trading of technical/financial instruments representing emissions reductions or capture. Further, in order to create positive incentives for the introduction of cleaner technologies, many regulators worldwide are using market mechanisms along with the more traditional command & control approach (fines, closure, etc.) to elicit more environmentallyfriendly behaviours. In many cases, these new mechanisms allow the participation of stakeholders (public or private) from developing countries. This is the case for the market for emissions reductions and capture established by the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In fact, particularly after the linkage between this market (Kyoto) and the European market for emission allowances (EU ETS), the possibility of importing Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) of greenhouse gases obtainable in developing countries created a great amount of interest both on the supply and the demand side of these linked markets.

UNIDO ITPO Italy maintained its effort to raise awareness about the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol among relevant stakeholders both in Italy and in some selected developing countries. In fact, in April 2007 ITPO Italy was invited by the Chamber of Commerce and the scientific park “Enviropark” of Turin to present its experience in the identification of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia within the framework of the International Conference “AfrikyoTO”. In May, the office was invited to the international seminar “Renewable Fuels – Road to Energy Independence”, through the Serbian Agency for the Development of SMEs, by the Serbian specialized publication “The Ekonomist” to present the opportunities of CDM component in biofuels projects.

Within the framework of the collaboration with the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land, and Sea, ITPO Italy and IPU Tunis, were asked to take care of three sessions (8th – 9th May) within the 10 days course on CDM organized in Tunis by the local consultancy company APREIME for about 15 Tunisian public and private institutions. ITPO/IPU illustrated some issues related to the appraisal of Kyoto Protocol CDM projects according to UNIDO’s methodology and presented some case studies.

In September, as part of a training program financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Training Consortium (CFI), UNIDO ITPO Italy organized an adhoc training session to present UNIDO ITPO Italy’s Investment Promotion management and technical assistance for industrial projects, with a particular focus on its Environment and Energy programme related to the CDM of the Kyoto Protocol. During the part devoted to the CDM, the most important features of the Climate Change problem, international policy and flexible mechanisms were presented to about 15 Officials from the Ministry of Finance and Finance Departments of 8 Chinese Provinces.

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COLLABORATION UNIDO ITPO ITALY – ITALIAN MINISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, LAND, AND SEA INVOLVING PRIVATE COMPANIES IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT This Project is governed by an agreement between the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land, and Sea (IMET) and UNIDO ITPO Italy that involves the IPUs from Egypt and Morocco for the identification and promotion of environmentally-friendly investment and technology transfer projects. The institutions involved established a platform specialized in the identification and evaluation of investments that reduce the environmental impact of industrial activities or that intend to supply environmentally-preferable goods or services. Moreover, ITPO Italy and the IPUs give technical assistance to the more viable proposals during the first phases of the negotiation, the preparation of a business plan, and the search for suitable financial facility/ties.

Beneficiaries of the project are local enterprises, the General Authority for Foreign Investment of Egypt (GAFI) and the National SMEs Agency of Morocco (ANPME) that, with the support of ITPO Italy and the IPUs, are playing a primary role in raising awareness of environmental issues in the private sector.

MOROCCO On the occasion of the conclusion of the first year of implementation of this project in Morocco, on November 5th 2007, UNIDO ITPO Italy organized on its premises a roundtable to discuss the Moroccan development programmes in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Mr. Mohamed Berdai, Director of International Cooperation at the Centre for Development of Renewable Energies in Morocco (CDER) and Ms. Latifa Echihabi, Director of the National Agency for Moroccan SMEs (ANPME), described the main trends and public programs to a group of entrepreneurs and institutional representatives of CONFAPI (Italian Confederation of Small and Medium Industries), IPI (Institute for Industrial Promotion), and the Italian Ministries for the Environment and Foreign Affairs. On November 6th, in cooperation with ENEA (Agency for new technologies, energy and environment), UNIDO ITPO Italy organized a visit to ENEA’s research centre at Santa Maria di Galeria (Rome). This visit had the double scope of showing some of the most advanced Italian technologies in solar energy and to encourage contacts between ENEA and CDER. After the presentation of both institutions, the delegation was given a guided tour of ENEA’s photovoltaic laboratory and the solar thermodynamic experimental plant. The meeting was considered interesting and both institutions agreed to resume their contact early in 2008 to evaluate possible collaboration between them. In May, UNIDO ICS-Trieste and the Moroccan National Cleaner Production Centre organized in Marrakech a workshop on Technologies for Environmental CleanUp and DST, at which UNIDO ITPO Italy/IPU was invited to present its Energy and Environment Program.

In North Africa, even a small temperature increase could seriously impact water availability. The HDR states that even a modest variation of +1°C could reduce water runoff in Morocco’s Ouergha watershed by 10 percent by 2020. In this country, there is a great sensitivity to Climate Change issues. Moreover, the important Conference of Parties of Marrakesh (COP 6 – 2002) boosted the interest in and, launched the establishment of all the institutions necessary for the implementation of CDM activities. Morocco is still one step behind most African countries as host for this kind of meetings. Since 2005, UNIDO ITPO Italy/IPU Rabat collaborates actively with local institutions and private companies to promote this kind of (CDM) projects. In 2007, the Italian MinAmb invited UNIDO ITPO Italy to become part of an expert group that is working on the identification of projects with CDM potential. Moreover, ITPO Italy/IPU Rabat contacted the Moroccan National Cleaner Production Centre which will present some of the activities in their portfolio to the expert group. For the most interesting opportunities, the Italian MinAmb may finance the development of the Project Design Document (PDD) giving in this way a contribution for the reduction of the transaction costs and promoting the participation of private companies in CDM-related projects.

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EGYPT Egypt is one of the countries most vulnerable to the forecast effects of Climate Change. The 2007 UNDP Human Development Report 2007 (HDR) identified Lower Egypt as one of the areas in the world with the highest risk of severe flooding due to rising sea level. The Delta of the Nile River is one of the most agriculturally productive areas in this country. Moreover, many models foresee that Climate Change may cause a reduction in rainfall that may further strain the already scarce resources of water for irrigation. These events would cause widespread displacement of people increasing the instability of an already difficult area. According to the HDR, in Egypt, a 0.5 metre rise in sea level could lead to economic losses in excess of US$ 35 billion and to the displacement of 2 million people.

From the 21st to 23rd of May 2007, the Egyptian Ministry of State for the Environment (EEAA), with the support of the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI), the Confederation of Egyptian-European Business Associations (CEEBA), and the German-Arab Chamber of Industry & Commerce organized the 5th International conference and exhibition of environmental technologies, management, and funding “Environment 2007”. This exhibition presented innovative technologies and services as well as funding opportunities and technical assistance offers for the industry, energy, and environment market. EEAA invited UNIDO ITPO Italy/IPU Cairo to take part in this event through the organization of a delegation of Italian companies and this activity was used to close the first year of activities of our project. The Italian delegation being the most numerous foreign one with 11 companies, took part in the conference, the business meetings and the site visits jointly with 19 Egyptian companies. The sectors involved ranged from waste water treatment, urban waste management to composting and as a result of the business meetings, there are now 2 on-going negotiations.

Selected Results •

More than 50 industrial projects from Egypt and Morocco were identified and promoted;

•

More that 200 contacts were identified and made available for the fulfilment of the needs and requirements of companies from the various developing countries involved;

•

Five projects were concluded for a total value of more than US$.1,6 million;

•

More than 10 other projects are currently under negotiation;

•

The project portfolio, including activities and investment opportunities in developing countries was presented at 16 seminars. Of these seminars, 2 were specifically dedicated to the promotion of the Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol; and,

•

ITPO Italy / IPU Rabat are supporting the Italian Ministry for the Environment in the preparation of a plan of activities for the identification of CDM opportunities in Morocco.

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Highlights on Investment Promotion activities

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OECD - MENA COUNTRIES PLANNED POLICY REFORMS TO ATTRACT NEW INVESTMENTS Cairo, 27th – 28th November 2007

Ongoing efforts by MENA economies and OECD countries to boost investment in the Middle East and North Africa took a significant step forward with the announcement by 16 Arab nations of their intention to pursue reform policies aimed at improving the environment for business in the region. On November 27th and 28th 2007, the OECD in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and the General Authority for Investment (GAFI), organized the second “MENA Ministerial Meeting and Business Forum”. The meeting, under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Ahmed Nazif, brought together Ministerial level delegations from 18 countries of the MENA region to discuss the direction and impact of investment and business climate reforms that regional Governments are currently implementing.

Ministers and senior representatives of MENA countries set-out common principles and good practices for encouraging investment. In particular, participants in a ministerial meeting of the MENA-OECD in Cairo acknowledged the need for reforms to improve the investment climate to enhance transparency and predictability of national policies, laws, regulations, administrative practices and statistics affecting foreign and domestic investment.

The reform process presents an opportunity for all regional players. For some countries blessed with oil and other resources, recent increases in world commodity prices open avenues for future investment. For others, the good fortune of their neighbours gives them a chance to attract investment from other regional players. For all, it is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

Private sector investment, both foreign and local, has been identified as one of the keys to the economic dynamism that many MENA countries are looking for. A number of MENA countries have already embarked on privatization programs and other efforts to make themselves more attractive to investors. As a demonstration of their commitment to fostering private investment, UNIDO IPU Egypt in collaboration with GAFI organized a parallel "business-to-business" session, focusing on some of the most attractive and promising sectors in the MENA Region.

UNIDO ITPO/IPU network selected more than 150 companies that took part in the B2B session in the following sectors: Agribusiness; Environment; Furniture; Packaging; and Textile.

Eight Italian companies attended the MENA-OECD Ministerial Meeting and Business Forum. In particular, a company and an institution from the Region of Piedmont are evaluating the possibility of preparing a specific program aimed at transferring Italian know-how in the integrated management of the complete value-chain of rice production. Egypt is an important producer of rice and this production has many economic, social, and environmental implications such as on land and waste and water management. In particular, water is one of the most sensitive resources in the region. Another Italian company started tests for the treatment of urban wastes with specific bacteria that would make waste water useful in composting while raising the quality of the final product and, at the same time, saving the fresh water currently used. An Egyptian company, active in the installation of wind energy systems is looking for a partner for the local production of small wind turbines for the regional market, while a multinational of Italian origin is particularly interested in investing in renewable energy in Egypt.

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MAROC SOURCING 2007 B2B Garment Forum, Casablanca, 29 November - 1 December 2007

Within the framework of its activities of investment promotion and supporting the development of the private sector in emerging countries, UNIDO ITPO Italy strengthened economic and industrial relations between Italian and Moroccan companies operating in textiles-clothing by organizing the participation of an Italian delegation at the sixth edition of Maroc Sourcing, the most important specialized fair in Morocco.

After years of decline due to Asian competition, this edition marked the re-launch of the Moroccan textile industry, present at the fair with more than 250 manufacturers. Textiles and clothing remain the leading domestic industry in Morocco, both in terms of production and employment. Thanks to the innovative sector policies adopted, there has been a sharp increase in export sales which grew 21% in 2006. The year 2007 is following the same upward trend, thus reinforcing Morocco’s position as the fifth supplier to the European market. This growth reflects the continuous progress achieved by Moroccan operators because of their adaptability to adopt the “Fast Fashion” business model in terms of competitiveness, flexibility, as well as reactivity.

Within this context, the involvement of UNIDO ITPO Italy as trait-d’union between the productive sectors of emerging countries and the Italian industrial system, made possible the presence of an Italian delegation at the “B2B Garment Forum”, where the business meetings arranged by UNIDO IPU Morocco and AMITH (Association Marocaine des Industries du Textile et de l’Habillement) took place.

The feedback on the initiative was significant. Many important Italian firms such as Diesel, Nuna Lie, Daritex, and Miti participated. The first assessment of the business session was also positive. About 70 encounters occurred and many cooperation proposals were mooted.

Participants confirmed that there exist, indeed, a huge potential for complementarities between the two sides of the Mediterranean.

Indeed, encouraged by an empowering geographical proximity and the high level of know-how and professionalism of local textile manufacturers, the quality needs of Italian enterprises were easily met thanks to Morocco’s plethora of profitable opportunities for industrial cooperation.

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UNIDO DELEGATION AT 42ND EDITION OF MARMOMACC Verona, 4 – 7 October 2007

UNIDO ITPO Italy coordinated a delegation of Italian and foreign SMEs operating in the marble sector to MARMOMACC 2007, with the support of the Secretaria de MinerĂ­a de la Republica Argentina and the Investment Promotion Units (IPUs) in Morocco, Jordan, and Tunisia. Scope of the visit was to encourage business partnerships and to strengthen the economic and industrial relations between companies operating in the Mediterranean basin.

UNIDO ITPO Italy organized a B2B session during the fair to encourage the creation of joint ventures, subcontracting agreements, technology transfers as well as economic collaboration and to support the development of small and medium enterprises in the emerging countries involved. Within this framework, after an initial phase of identification and selection of business opportunities, the UNIDO network gathered for the event about 40 Italian and 14 foreign companies extracting and/or processing stone as well as in the manufacturing of technology and equipments for this industry. The foreign delegation comprised 3 Argentine, 4 Tunisian, 3 Jordanian, and 4 Moroccan companies.

To guarantee the establishment of positive and effective business relations between Italian and foreign companies, UNIDO ITPO Italy organized the match-making in accordance with the cooperation proposals provided by the companies. As a consequence of these activities, about 80 business meetings took place at MARMOMACC under the supervision of UNIDO staff.

In conclusion, at MARMOMACC 2007, UNIDO ITPO Italy carried-out a vast promotional campaign on the potential of the stone sector in emerging countries and favoured job creation and the attraction of FDI to these countries. Further, a sector catalogue of investment opportunities in stone and marble extraction/processing was edited and disseminated to the Italian business community before and during the fair.

UNIDO ITPO Stand at Marmomacc

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SIAMAP 2007 - The International Show of Agriculture, Agricultural Machinery and Fisheries Tunis, 25 – 28 October 2007

UNIDO ITPO Italy and UNIDO IPU Tunisia assisted ten Italian companies and three company associations in their participation to the 9th edition of SIAMAP, The International Show of Agriculture, Agricultural Machinery, and Fisheries, which took place in Tunis, from the 25th to the 28th October 2007. This biennial fair, organised by UTAP - Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries -, involves companies operating in the following sectors: • • • • •

Conventional and biological(organic) agriculture Agro-industry Fishing and aquaculture Agricultural equipment Fishing equipment

Under the coordination of UNIDO, personalised business meetings with over 50 Tunisian counterparts, selected from among a portfolio of 70 projects, were organised for participating Italian companies. The goal of these meetings was to facilitate the development of new projects, joint-ventures, and subcontracting agreements.

Among the selected Tunisian projects, there were several opportunities for investment, commercial exchange, and technological transfer, in fields ranging from cooling chain, the transformation of agricultural products, conventional and biological agriculture, to fishing, and renewable sources of energy.

SIAMAP 2007 gave Italian entrepreneurs the possibility of understanding the Tunisian industrial context, developing contacts that generated immediate requests for feasibility studies, offers, and planned future visits to Tunisian companies. Some Italian companies also chose to present their products in their own stands within the spaces arranged by UNIDO.

Entrepreneurs at SIAMAP

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MIA 2007 37th International Food Show. Food, beverage & trends in eating-out and large-scale distribution Rimini, 10 – 13 February 2007

Mia Fair is a highly specialized exhibition for a great business: it’s Europe’s most important and comprehensive expo event for the eating-out trade, a sector that in Italy has exceeded a turnover of € 60 billion, a third of the country’s food and beverage sales, and is a 4.9% increase on the previous year’s figures.

The event’s success: its original formula deals with everything connected to food and beverage – from service methods to logistics and consumption to trend analysis. It does not just sell products but also launches a series of spectacular events dedicated to quality gourmet produce featuring internationally famous chefs.

Unido ITPO, in collaboration with the Investment Promotion Units organized a delegation of 10 companies from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. During the fair, a B-to-B session was organized between the foreign companies and the Italian participants. It resulted in over 60 bilateral meetings that produced a number of negotiations that went-on past the event.

Foreign delegation at MIA Trade Fair

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UNIDO ITPO ITALY AT AUTOPROMOTEC Bologna, 23 – 27 May 2007 Some time ago, ITPO Italy carried-out four sector studies on re-treaded tyres analysing the main features of economic and legislative aspects relating to re-treaded tires, the presence of direct and indirect barriers as well as the application of international legislation and standards in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. As a positive consequence of the implementation of these studies, ITPO Italy and AIRP (Italian Association of Re-treaded Tyre Producers) decided to invest in these in MENA countries by supporting the Italian companies willing to explore these new markets and improve the productive capacity of Algerian, Tunisian, Moroccan, and Egyptian SMEs. Within this framework, in 2007, ITPO Italy promoted the participation of a north-African delegation to the 22nd edition of AUTOPROMOTEC, the most important international exhibition of automotive products, taking place in the Bologna Trade Fair Centre on May 23 – 27. ITPO Italy organized the match-making with associated companies and jointly organized a special seminar to present the findings of the sector studies.

The event focused on all vehicle repairing and maintenance activities: from garage equipment and products, to testing lines, diagnostic tools, tires, spare parts, gas station and car wash equipment, tyre re-treading, and engine reconditioning materials and plants, multi-purpose equipment, car servicing, and official and independent service networks.

UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with AIRP, AUTOPROMOTEC and the Investment Promotion Units in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, organized a two-days business-to-business session between the North African delegation and the Italian companies to strengthen the economic and industrial relations between private companies operating in the Mediterranean Basin and open new paths of development more protective of the environment. Indeed, after a previous phase of identification and selection, at AUTOPROMOTEC 2007 UNIDO recruited about 35 Italian and 14 foreign companies active in the automotive and tyre regeneration business. As a consequence of these activities, about 75 business meetings took place under the supervision of UNIDO staff.

Furthermore, in light of the recent market studies on the automotive sector in these countries, on the 25th May, a specialized seminar entitled "The tyre industry in Italy and new frontiers in the Mediterranean Basin: economic opportunities and environmental issues" took place at the conference hall of the fair, giving the audience the chance to get acquainted with the state-of-theart and the potential for the re-treaded tyre industry in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.

Mr. Stefano Carloni, President of AIRP, opened the conference and other prominent speakers such as the Director of the Road Safety Department of the Moroccan Ministry of Transport, the Director of the Egyptian Auto Association, the Director of the Centre for Industrial Innovation Studies of the Algerian Ministry for SMEs, and the Director of SMEs Support Branch of Tunisian Agency for Industrial Promotion attended. At the conference, they analyzed trends and perspectives of the automotive sector in their countries, raised the possibility of closer collaboration with Italian companies, and initiated the institutional dialogue required to facilitate the adoption of international standards in the field of the re-treaded tyres (UNECE regulations 108 and 109 on uniform provisions concerning the approval for the production of re-treaded pneumatic tyres for motor vehicles and their trailers).

About 40 persons assisted to the conference. A fruitful debate on how to attain closer integration between the productive segments of this area and to promote the multilateral institutional dialogue on the adoption of the leading international standards began.

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SANA 2007 - 19th International Exhibition of Natural Products Bologna, 13 – 16 September 2007

Following a well-established tradition, UNIDO ITPO Italy participated in SANA 2007, the 19th international exhibition of Natural Products, Food, Health, and Environment, that took place at BolognaFiere. The stand of UNIDO ITPO Italy, hosting delegations of entrepreneurs from Latin America (Argentina and Uruguay) and North Africa (Egypt and Tunisia), was the meeting and reference spot for anyone wishing to receive information on economic opportunities in the countries represented. Besides, this year’s foreign delegations benefited from specialized assistance offered by ITPO staff of the stand in their search for Italian partners. The companies in the Egyptian delegation met representatives of Italian firms in the olive oil, fruit, and vegetable sector to offer their current products and introduce their projects proposals, thereby establishing a connection that is leading to industrial and commercial relationships.

The Argentine and Uruguayan entrepreneurs, besides showcasing their products, also got in touch with potential Italian counterparts to develop their projects in herbal and medicinal products. In particular, the Phyto Uruguay consortium – Uruguayan companies associated for export promotion – gained great visibility as exhibitors and managed to firm-up an agreement with an Italian company for the export of their cosmetic products that should lead to a joint venture for some aspect of their production.

On Friday, 14th September the delegation from Egypt and the representatives of CTU – Cooperativa Trabajadores Unidos of Tucumán - Argentina visited the CAAB - Bologna Agricultural and Food Center, one of the most important reference points in the food industry’s distribution networks at both the national and European level. The tour, guided by Dott.

Caccioni, Marketing and Quality Manager, offered the delegations an opportunity to explore how their productions could be integrated in the supply-chain of large-scale distribution.

The representatives of the Tunisian Delegation presented investment opportunities in the Tunisian agricultural sector and along with UNIDO ITPO Italy staff, promoted the International Showroom of Agriculture, Farming Machinery, and Fishing (SIAMAP). In addition to SIAMAP, UNIDO ITPO staff also promoted investment opportunities in the food industry in Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Sénégal.

SANA 2007: table of negotiations

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UNIDO DELEGATION AT FIERAVICOLA ForlÏ, 26 – 29 September 2007

Between September 26th and 29th Unido participated in Fieravicola in ForlĂŹ, escorting a delegation of Egyptian and Jordanian Entrepreneurs. The Fair is regarded as one of the most important in Europe and is held every other year. The delegation was composed of three entrepreneurs from Jordan and nine entrepreneurs from Egypt. The fair has a specific target in that it is focused on two main topics, the poultry market and the rabbit market and therefore products presented at the fair ranged from machinery used to process the animals, feeds, pharmaceutical products, and transport solutions for the animals.

During the Fair a bilateral business meeting session was organized between the Unido delegation and the companies present. Further to this, a small tour was organized for the delegation to various stands where they attended a tailor-made presentation of the technology and products that exhibiting companies were offering. Altogether Unido assisted the delegation in over fifty business meetings and some of them produced negotiations that are currently being followed-up.

During the course of the fair, the delegations were informed of the various services that Unido can offer and also of the availability of financial assistance through the credit line under Article 6 of Law 49. With these services in mind, a number of companies started negotiations for the acquisition of Italian technology.

Poultry investors at UNIDO Stand

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Highlights on CapacityBuilding activities

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Technical Assistance support to the Serbian Agency for the Development of SME & Entrepreneurship on “SME economicfinancial evaluation” Bologna, 3 – 6 September 2007

From the 3rd to the 6th of September 2007 a study tour centering on “SMEs economicfinancial evaluation” was held in Bologna. The training meetings, resulting from the collaboration of UNIDO ITPO Italy with CONFIDI Emilia Romagna, were divided into two sessions over four days. The first session, held by Dr. Paolo Caramanzi, was dedicated to the topics of balance sheet and financial reporting, with particular attention to the preparation of the balance sheet under applicable Italian Civil Code regulations and in accordance with “Basel 2” conditions.

During the second day, the subject was presented in greater detail and another topic of the session was the balance sheet as a quantitative criterion of the credit rating of a company.

Talking about this subject Dr. Caramanzi focused on the objectives, types, and methods of balance sheet analysis, providing some examples of the most frequently used scoring systems.

The second session, held by Emmanuel Danieli, director of Fidindustria Emilia Romagna, focused on SME organizational dynamics, their own development course (from a company start-up to the creation of associations) and, especially, on the Italian company system and its evolution over the lat few years. Dr. Giovanni Storchi provided detailed information on CONFIDI activity and role in Italy and, in particular, on the success of the CONFIDI model in Emilia Romagna. Dr. Storchi, on the contrary, gave a clear picture of the cooperation established between CONFIDI Emilia Romagna and the Serbian region of Novisad. In addition, he reported his own experience with regard to a project recently implemented in collaboration with UNOPS. In the study tour there were also six executives of the Serbian SME Agency, partners of ITPO Italy in the project “Institutional Support and capacity-building measures to enhance the role of the Serbian Agency for the Development of SME & Entrepreneurship”. The executives considered this event a useful opportunity to exchange information on financial reporting, to receive suggestions to facilitate credit access, and to handle public funds for Serbian SMEs, which account for a large majority of the Serbian industrial system.

The Serbian Delegation

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ON THE ROAD OF EXCELLENCE: THE ITALIAN EXPERIENCE WITH INDUSTRIAL DISTRICTS AND CONSORTIA The Moroccan Institutional Delegation Study Tour, 5 - 9 November 2007

Within ITPO Italy institution-building activities aimed at strengthening the Moroccan public institutions in charge of sustaining SME development, as a consequence of the organizational activities carried out in accordance and with the support of UNIDO Representative Office in Morocco and HQ in Vienna, ITPO Italy conducted a study tour aimed at explaining the main features of Italian Industrial Districts and Consortia.

To this end, UNIDO ITPO Italy, in collaboration with IPI (Istituto per la Promozione Industriale), carried out several presentations to illustrate the ubiquity and economic relevance of industrial districts in the Italian economy. Furthermore, the study tour allowed the Moroccan delegation to visit some industrial districts that contributed to spread the excellence of the “Made in Italy” label worldwide.

This is the case of the industrial districts in Prato and S. Croce sull’Arno, specialized in the manufacturing of textile and leather goods as well as two archetypical cases of Italian consortia operating in agribusiness, namely: the Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese Consortium and the Consortium of Parma Ham. Within this context, during the visits, representatives of both consortia explained in details the history, the scope, the territorial organization, the standardization of the production processes, the system of traceability, the marketing strategies adopted as well as the lobbying and the legal protection of the product and the consumers developed at international level.

The representatives of Ministère de l’Industrie, du Commerce et des Nouvelles Technologies, Ministère Commerce Extérieur, ASMEX (Association Marocaine des Exportateurs), FEDIC (Fédération des Entreprises du Cuir) were deeply interested in the relation between consortia and the socio-economic development of these territories, that contributed to transform this zone into an Italian “food valley”. A positive discussion took place after the visit when the Moroccan representatives debated how to replicate this apparently most effective organizational and productive model in the Moroccan industrial sector.

Finally, the study tour ended in Bologna where an official meeting with top management of Unindustria-Bologna took place at Unindustria HQ in order to envisage new forms of collaboration in mechanical, automotive, and agribusiness. The delegation was given, as a concluding activity, the opportunity of visiting Bruno Magli Spa, a leading company in the field of leather and shoemaking.

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UNIDO ITPO ITALY SUPPORTS SERBIAN AGENCY FOR SMES AS IT DISCOVERS ITALY’S RENEWABLE ENERGIES, AGROINDUSTRY, AND WOOD PROCESSING FIRMS From 8th October to 16th November 2007, within the framework of “Institutional Support and Capacity-Building Measures to Enhance the Role of the Serbian Agency for the Development of SMEs & Entrepreneurship” project, ITPO Italy assisted two representatives of the Serbian Agency for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Entrepreneurship, Mrs Snezana Filipovic and Mr. Milan Vujovic during their stay in Italy. The main objective of the mission of Snezana Filipovic was to gain basic knowledge of alternative renewable energy sources especially those sources that have potential in Serbia in order to transfer this know-how to her country. Besides, she wanted to present to Italian business community Serbian firms’ needs for technologies in this sector in order to facilitate industrial partnerships between Italian and Serbian SMEs, to provide them with adequate technical solutions.

UNIDO ITPO staff transferred knowledge to the delegate and provided her with basic information on energy efficient use of renewable fuels and on the use of new renewable energy sources for sustainable industrial production. In particular, conscious of the agriculture and forestry sector importance in Serbia, ITPO staff organized a specific study tour focused on these sub-sectors. In fact, several plant visits were organized to gather information on the management of forestry biomass resources, on the production of energy from wood waste, on the selection and treatment of non-organic municipal solid waste, and on energy production from agro-industry biomass.

Mrs. Filipovic appreciated the different activities organized and as a follow-up activity she intends to organize training and workshops to increase the awareness of partners, stakeholders, and local institutions on the benefits of greater use of renewable energy within industrial production systems and, to spread the knowledge, thereby stimulating the application and management of technical innovation to create new job opportunities. Further, with the assistance of ITPO staff, Mrs. Filipovic prepared a document on “Renewable Energy Sources and General investment Climate in Serbia” giving an overview on investment opportunities in this sector to Italian and foreign entrepreneurs: she presented it during her participation in ECOMONDO 2007 (the 11th International Trade fair of Material&Energy and Recovery and Sustainable Development).

The mission of the delegate Milan Vujovic meant to support Serbian companies, identified through the project carried out with the Serbian Agency, during their search for commercial and/or industrial partners in the food and wood/furniture sectors. The promotion of Serbian projects was organized through specific meetings with institutions (Federalimentare, ACIMALL, Confindustria Verona) and Italian companies operating in the sectors of interest. During these meetings, the delegate, assisted by the ITPO staff, had the opportunity to present and describe in detail the Serbian companies’ proposals of partnership and the investment opportunities in Serbia. Moreover, taking advantage of CIBUSTEC, the delegate established contacts with several exhibitors whose products respond to the requests of the Serbian companies. Besides producers of technology, who showed a clear interest in collaborating with the Serbian companies, all the enterprises met asked for more information in order to better evaluate the possibility of collaboration with the Serbian firms.

Most firms and organisations met expressed a remarkable interest in the Serbian market, both in agro-food and renewable energy. Additional details were requested about fiscal and financial incentives for foreigners investing in Serbia. Furthermore, the mission in Italy was for both delegates an occasion for disseminate knowledge about their country, the activities of their Agency, and to create useful contacts for possible future collaboration.

54

UNIDO CAPACITY-BUILDING INITIATIVE FOR CHINA Rome, 25 September 2007

On September 25th 2007 UNIDO ITPO Italy organized an ad hoc capacity-building seminar for a group of Chinese Officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Finance Departments of 8 Chinese Provinces involved in Official Development Assistance. The seminar took place within the framework of a training program financed by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Training Consortium (CFI).

The main objective of the seminar was the presentation of UNIDO ITPO Italy’s investment promotion and technical assistance methodology for industrial projects, with a particular focus on its Environment and Energy program related to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol.

A first part of the seminar presented the creation of UNIDO ITPO Italy under UNIDO’s mandate and an explanation of its objectives and instruments, such as financial analysis, services to firms, and overall industrial promotion/cooperation activity between Italian companies and those in developing countries. A special section was dedicated to the technical assistance service offered by UNIDO ITPO Italy to institutions, which particularly interested the Chinese delegation. Another section dealt with the financial tools provided by the Italian Government for the development of the private sector in developing countries (Arts. 6 and 7 of Law n. 49/1987).

The second part of the seminar was dedicated to promotion of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects under UNIDO ITPO Italy’s Energy and Environment Program.

Indeed, after the introduction of the general climate change challenge and the Kyoto Protocol objectives, the attention was shifted to the Clean Development Mechanism definition, on its project cycle, and financing instruments. An overview of the CDM market, demand and supply, was also illustrated mentioning also the high variability in the price of CER’s (Certified Emission Reduction). Finally, the seminar concluded with highlights of UNIDO ITPO Italy’s role in the assistance and cooperation with public and private sector for CDM project identification and pre-feasibility studies. This activity is clearly related to investment promotion and technology transfer to developing countries, UNIDO ITPO Italy’s main objective.

The Chinese delegation at ITPO office

55

CAPACITY-BUILDING INTERVENTION IN THE PACKAGING BUSINESS FOR A LEBANESE DELEGATION Parma, Milan 18 – 20 October 2007

From the 18th to the 20th of October 2007, ITPO Italy provided support to a delegation from Lebanon in the organization of a study tour in Italy. The tour aimed at collecting information about the packaging industry in Italy, its ancillary institutions, and the most up-to-date technology.

The study tour proposed the following program: A) Meeting with the Italian Packaging Institute in Milan (18th of October); created in 1953, the Institute counts about 350 members between packaging machinery makers, industrial designers, and trade associations; B) One-day visit to the fair CIBUSTEC (19th of October). CIBUSTEC is the leading Italian fair in food processing technology, held every two years, and one of the most important fairs in Europe. The fair gave the occasion for the Lebanese delegation to acquire information on the up-to-date technology in the food industry and to meet potential suppliers of packaging machinery.

C) Three company visits in the area of Parma (20th of October). Besides organizational support that was provided by ITPO Italy for the whole study tour, ad hoc assistance was provided to the Coordinator of MACLE project (UNIDO Beirut), Ms. Soha Atallah during the meetings held with the companies exhibiting at CIBUSTEC. The Lebanese delegation, which included companies operating in the food industry as well as producers of packaging and two representatives of key institutions, namely, the Syndicate of Lebanese food industries and the Syndicate of Packaging, benefited from this tour by establishing promising contacts for the future implementation of projects.

56

CAPACITY-BUILDING IN RELATION TO LEADING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY FOR OLIVE AND AVOCADO OIL PRODUCTION Catamarca, Argentina 16 – 19 September 2007

Fifty four Latin American companies, from Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, represented by more of 70 professionals and entrepreneurs benefited from a joint programme with Camera di Commercio di Ancona, UNIDO ITPO Italy, and other institutions. The Latin American companies received training to improve knowledge and introduce new techniques in olive oil production. With the financial support of the European Union, in the framework on the ALInvest III Programme, the training course took place in the city of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Argentina, between the 16th and 19th September on the occasion of Expolivo 2007.

The capacity-building event enhanced the exchange of knowledge among SMEs working in the processing/growing of olive and avocado oil, and favoured the transfer the know-how from an Italian company leader in that field, Pieralisi S.p.a., to Latin-American partners in relation to the use of highly innovative tools and machinery for the transformation of raw materials (olives and avocados) into finished products (derived oils). During the event, the European experts covered different theoretical and practical topics, from olive oil organoleptic assessment, the influence of agronomic aspects in the quality and extractability of olive oil, the extraction process, and products and sub-products. They also mentioned technical characteristics and alternative uses.

In many developing countries, olive oil has an enormous potential not yet fully exploited because of problems like lack of technology and know how. For that reason, ITPO Italy supported this initiative to train selected professionals linked to enterprises in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay who acquired technical-scientific competences in relation to industrial plants and processes using olives and avocados as raw materials. The improved specialist knowledge could lead to the creation of new technologically-advanced companies, but also to spur economic and commercial exchange between Italian expertise and Latin-American technology/ know-how needs. Companies both in Italy and Latin America which produce oil and those who sell and supply machinery or technical assistance, profited from this activity.

Latin American entrepreneurs attending the olive oil seminar in Catamarca- Argentina

57

58

Annexes

59

Business Meetings 2007 DATE

FAIR/EXHIBITION

VENUE (City)

DELEGATIONS

COORGANIZER

Arab Mediterranean Countries

10-13 February 2007

MIA

Rimini

Tunisia 2, Morocco 2, Egypt 1, Jordan 4

Rimini Fiera

Latin America

13-16 February 2007

Enomaq 2007

Saragossa (Spain)

Italy 5

CREA – Aragon Chamber of Commerce and AL-Invest III Program

Jordan

5-6 March 2007

MENA Countries Women Business Forum

Milan

Italy 5, Jordan 6

ICE

Argentina

30 March – 2 April 2007

Cosmoprof 2007

Bologna

Argentina 8

Fundacion Export-Ar and Argentinean Programme.

Arab Mediterranean Countries and Latin America

19-21 April 2007

SEP

Padua

Morocco 3, Egypt 2, Jordan 2, Tunisia 1, Italy 11

Fiera di Padova and Eurosportello Veneto

Morocco

19-24 April 2007

Salon International de l’Agriculture au Maroc

Meknés (Morocco)

Italy 1

UPI-Morocco

60

COUNTRY

60

COUNTRY

Egypt

DATE

21-23 May 2007

FAIR/EXHIBITION

Environment 2007

VENUE (City)

DELEGATIONS

COORGANIZER

Cairo

11 (Italy)

IPU Cairo Egyptian Ministry For the Environment (EEAA) Egyptian European Business Associations

AIRP and Autopromotec UNIDO IPU Egypt, UNIDO IPU Morocco, UNIDO IPU Tunisia

61

Arab Mediterranean Countries

23-27 May 2007

AUTOPROMOTEC 2007

Bologna

46 Private companies (31 from Italy, 3 from Algeria, 3 from Tunisia, 2 from Egypt, 2 from Morocco, 2 from Turkey, 1 from Brazil, Germany and Spain) plus 4 institutional representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia

Tunisia

20-22 June 2007

Carthage Investment Forum

Tunis

22 Italian companies for B2B session and 5 institutions

UNIDO IPU Tunisia and FIPA

Arab Mediterranean Countries and Latin America

13-15 September 2007

SANA

Bologna

Companies: 1 from Uruguay, 4 from Argentina, 2 from Egypt and a representative from Tunisia

UNIDO IPU Egypt

Arab Mediterranean Countries and Latin America

2-5 October 2007

MARMOMACC 2007

Verona

32 Private companies (16 from Italy, 4 from Tunisia, 4 from Morocco, 3 from Jordan, 5 from Argentina

UNIDO IPU Jordan, UNIDO IPU Morocco, UNIDO IPU Tunisia and Argentinean Mining Secretary

Lebanon

19-20 October 2007

CIBUSTEC

Parma

5 Lebanese companies and 3 Representatives of Lebanese Institutions

UNIDO HQs

61

DATE

FAIR/EXHIBITION

VENUE (City)

DELEGATIONS

COORGANIZER

Morocco

24-26 October 2007

EnviroMaroc 2007

Casablanca

Morocco (1)

UNIDO IPU Morocco

Tunisia

25-28 October 2007

SIAMAP

Tunis

10 Italian companies and 3 Institutions

UNIDO IPU Tunisia

Arab Mediterranean Countries

7-10 November 2007

ECOMONDO 2007

Rimini

Egypt (4) Tunisia (6) Morocco (1) Jordan (3)

UNIDO IPU Egypt, UNIDO IPU Jordan, UNIDO IPU Morocco, UNIDO IPU Tunisia

Argentina

12-17 November 2007

Agritechnica 2007

Hanover, Germany

17 Companies from Argentina

Fundaci贸n Export-Ar /UNIDO Argentinean Programme

Morocco

15-17 November 2007

Fierte

Rabat

Italy (14) Morocco (13)

Unido IPU Morocco

Morocco

29 November 1 December 2007

MAROC SOURCING 2007

Casablanca (Morocco)

43 Private companies (39 from Morocco and 4 from Italy)

Unido IPU Morocco and AMITH

Egypt

27-28 November 2007

MENA Ministerial Meeting and Business Forum

Cairo

Italy (8) Egypt (30)

OECD and UNIDO IPU Egypt

Arab Mediterranean Countries

27-30 November 2007

Pollutec 2007

Paris, France

3 Companies from Italy

ONUDI ITPO Paris

62

COUNTRY

Business Meetings organized: 20 Foreign Companies assisted: 179 Italian Companies assisted: 141

62

Investment Promotion: Country Presentations and Seminars TITLE OF MEETING

VENUE (City)

DATE

CO-ORGANIZER(S)

COUNTRY

Global Outline of UNIDO ITPO Italy activities and dissemination of Egyptian, Moroccan, Tunisian, Jordanian and Serbian complete project portfolios

Rome

16 January 2007

CONFAPI

Mediterranean countries and Serbia

19 January 2007

Italian National Tanneries Association, Indian Leather Desk

India

Morocco and Egypt

Consolidate project for the development of SMEs

Milan

Meeting in order to present ITPO activities and discuss possible collaboration

Rome

24 January 2007

ANIE - Federazione Nazionale Imprese Elettrotecniche ed Elettroniche.

Presentation of UNIDO ITPO activities and evaluation of possible joint promotional activities

Bari

26 January 2007

Puglia Region

Mediterranean Countries and Serbia

Presentation of ITPO activities and discussion on possible collaboration

Rome

8 February 2007

SACE

Mediterranean Countries And Africa

Consolidate project for the development of SMEs

Pordenone

14 February 2007

Italian Association of Industrial Clusters

India

Renewable Energy Workshop

Rome

20 February 2007

UNESCO

Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia

Meeting with the economic counsellor of the Tunisian Embassy in Italy to present ITPO-IPU programmes and activities.

Rome

15 March 2007

Tunisian Embassy

Tunisia

Energy Efficiency Projects in CDM and JI

Vienna (Austria)

19-20 March 2007

UNIDO Headquarters

-

Staff Retreat

Venice

26 March 2007

UNIDO HQ – UNIDO IPUs

-

63

TITLE OF MEETING

VENUE (City)

DATE

CO-ORGANIZER(S)

COUNTRY

Meeting with North Italian Institutions

Venice

27 March 2007

Veneto Region – UNIDO IPUs

All – regions

Presentation of Environment Programme and General Activities

Turin

28 March 2007

Turin Chamber of Commerce

All-regions

Meeting with the economic counsellor of the Moroccan Embassy in Italy to present ITPO-IPU programmes and activities.

Rome

03 April 2007

Moroccan Embassy

Morocco

Presentation of UNIDO ITPO mission, programmes and activities

Udine

06 April 2007

Udine Chamber of Commerce

All-regions

AfriKyoTO

Turin

12 April 2007

Enviropark

Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia

Presentation of Environment Programme and General Activities

Turin

13 April 2007

Centro Estero Internazionalizzazio ne Piemonte

All- regions

Facilitating access to loans and credit facilities to SMEs

Novara

18 April 2007

Banca Popolare Verona e Novara

India

“To know India”

Valmadrera (LC)

20 April 2007

CIS – Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies

India

Renewable Fuels: Road to Energy Independence / CDM Component in Biofuels Projects

Belgrade

08 May 2007

The Ekonomist

Serbia

Workshop on Technologies for Environmental Clean-Up and DST for their Assessment and Selection / “ITPO-UNIDO Programmes relevant to pollution reduction and pollution prevention”

Marrakech

21 May 2007

Moroccan Cleaner Production Centre ICS UNIDO

Morocco

“The tyre industry in Italy and the new frontiers in the Mediterranean Basin”

Bologna

25 May 2007

AIRP

Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia

64

TITLE OF MEETING

VENUE (City)

DATE

Guanxi Province Seminars

Milan / Rome

15 - 18 June 2007

“Piattaforma di scambio tecnologico con i paesi in via di sviluppo”

Rome

19 June 2007

Global Outline of UNIDO ITPO Italy activities and country presentation of Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal with special focus on fishery sector

Rome

20 June 2007

AL-Invest Connect 2007

Lubiana, Slovenia

26-30 June 2007

AL-INVEST III PROGRAMME

Latin America

Global Outline of UNIDO ITPO Italy activities and country presentation of Ivory Coast

Rome

5 July 2007

ASSAFRICA & MEDITERRANEO

Ivory Coast

Global Outline of UNIDO ITPO Italy activities and country presentation of Côte d’Ivoire with special focus on agribusiness

Rome

10 July 2007

CENTRO AGROALIMENTARE ROMANO

Italy

Workshop on the Investment Opportunities in the food industry in Senegal

Turin

16 July 2007

CNA Torino

Senegal

Technical Assistance and Financial facilities to sustain investment in LDC

Treviso

18 July 2007

Unindustria Treviso

ArabMediterranean countries

Global Outline of UNIDO ITPO Italy activities and dissemination of Ivorian and Senegalese project portfolio

Rome

18 July 2007

CONFAPI

Ivory Coast and Senegal

65

CO-ORGANIZER(S)

COUNTRY

China

Provincia di Roma

Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire, Uganda

CIRSPE/FEDERCOOP Ivory Coast and ESCA Senegal

TITLE OF MEETING

VENUE (City)

DATE

CO-ORGANIZER(S)

COUNTRY

Private Investment Promotion for Sustainable Development – Alternative Energetic Sources: new opportunities and technological challenges

Rome

20 July 2007

SAFE

All

Prospects and Opportunities within the sectors of renewable energies, buildings and water technology in Morocco

Alessandria

27 September 2007

Istituto per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo

Morocco

Prospects and Opportunities within the sectors of renewable energies, buildings and water technology in Morocco

Turin

28 September 2007

Istituto per la Cooperazione allo Sviluppo

Morocco

Trasmettere Conoscenza, Produrre Innovazione

Rome

10 October 2007

CNA Lazio

All

Promotional meeting on leather sector in India

Bologna

18 October 2007

IFLMEA and Assoconciatori

India

MOU signing ceremony with ISF and several meetings with other Indian business and institutional representatives

Chennai (India)

20-25 October 2007

Unioncamere and Confindustria Marche

India

Morocco

The Italian industrial system: SMEs and industrial districts

Rome

05 November 2007

UNIDO Representative Office in Morocco, IPI

Moroccan developments and opportunities in renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors

Rome

05 November 2007

UNIDO IPU Rabat

Morocco

Mexico Pre-Forum and Networking Event during the SME National Week

Mexico City

06-07 November 2007

UNIDO ITPO Mexico

Mexico

66

TITLE OF MEETING

VENUE (City)

DATE

CO-ORGANIZER(S)

COUNTRY

Perspectives on the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Mediterranean area

Rimini

07 November 2007

SAFE, RiminiFiera SpA, UNIDO HQs

Morocco, Egypt, Jordan

Investment opportunities in Moroccan textile sector: Maroc Sourcing 2007

Prato

07 November 2007

Unindustria Prato

Morocco

Investment opportunities in Moroccan textile sector: Maroc Sourcing 2007

Prato

07 November 2007

Tecnotessile

Morocco

Investment opportunities in Moroccan textile sector: Maroc Sourcing 2007

Bologna

09 November 2007

Unindustria Bologna

Morocco

11-12 November 2007

Indian Council for Leather Export and Footwear manufacturers association of Riviera del Brenta

India

CLE Road-show for the Porto San Elpidio 15-16 November 2007 Leather and Footwear sectors

Indian Council for Leather Export and Confindustria Fermo

India

CLE Road-show for the Leather and Footwear sectors

Stra

Supporting SMEs in Latin America. Experiences and perspectives of the Al-Invest Programme

Bologna

22-23 November 2007

European Commission

Latin America

“Piattaforma di scambio tecnologico con i paesi in via di sviluppo - Imprenditoria femminile in Africa�

Rome

05 December 2007

Provincia di Roma

Africa

Experts meeting - Developing Technical Skills in Africa

Paris

10 December 2007

OECD

Africa

67

TITLE OF MEETING

VENUE (City)

DATE

CO-ORGANIZER(S)

COUNTRY

Institutional meeting and seminar about Italian clusters, industrial sectors and ITPO ITALY activities

Rome

10 December 2007

Serbian SMEs Agency

India

Sept - Dec 2007

Various Italian Investment Promotion Stakeholders

Africa

UNIDO ITPO Italy's Working group on SMEs Internationalisation to Africa

Roma

68

Capacity Building: Country Presentations and Seminars TITLE

Recovery of the Argentinean Industrial Sector

Consolidated project for SME development in India through establishment of mutual credit guarantee schemes, cluster twinning and foreign investment and technology promotion.

Support to Pordenone Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Institutional Support and Capacity Building Measures to Enhance the role of the Serbian Agency for the Development of SME and Entrepreneurship

Small scale cement technology in the Departamento del Meta, Columbia

INSTITUTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Fundación Exportar

In the framework of this Project, UNIDO ITPO Italy, is carrying on promotion activities in Italy through country presentations, study tours, fairs and exhibitions. Also ITPO Italy supports the project thought investment opportunities promotion in Argentina and Europe.

Indian Ministry for Small Scale Industry

Scouting of potential counterparts interested in the project, with particular reference to twinning with Indian clusters. In this respect, almost 20 organizations have been contacted in 7 different Italian regions

Pordenone Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Assistance to Pordenone C.C.I.A.A. in preparing a “Feasibility study” for 5 Italian companies, located in the region, interested in developing both investment and commercial projects in China. The feasibility study was concluded in February 2007.

Serbian Agency for the Development of SME and Entrepreneurship

Within the project for Institutional Support to the Serbian Agencies for the SMES two representatives of the Agency attended the COMFAR III Expert Basic and Advanced Workshop in Vienna ( 16-27 April)

UNIDO ICS

The project is based on the needs of industrial development in the rural areas of Colombia, where a mini cement plant to be installed in the Departamento del Meta could be beneficial for this rural development.

ITPO assists ICS in the investment project appraisal and in the business plan preparation stage.

69

TITLE

INSTITUTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Serbian Agency for the Development of SME & Entrepreneurship

Within the framework of the program for the Serbian Agency for SMEs, the 7th May 2007 ITPO Italy presented UNIDO’s Methodology for Investment Promotion to a group of 20 officials of the Agency.

Development of CDM Projects and Investment Project Appraisal: Methodologies and CDM Application

More than 15 Tunisian Public Institutions

In collaboration with UNIDO IPU Tunis, UNIDO ITPO Italy was invited to take care of three sessions within the 10 days course organized by the local consultancy company APREIME on behalf of the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea. ITPO/IPU illustrated some issues related to the appraisal of Kyoto Protocol CDM projects according to UNIDO’s methodology and presented some study cases.

Training for Argentina, Chile and Uruguay SME’s on High Technology for Olive and Avocado Oil Production.

Camera di Commercio ed Artigianato di Ancona.

Capacity Building for SME’s in the Olive Oil Processing. In cooperation with CCIAA - Ancona in the framework of AL-Invest Programme.

AIRP (Italian Association of Tyres Industries)

Implementation of economic/normative studies on the field of re-treading industry in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and B2B and Seminar activities at Autopromotec Fair 2007.

ADEPME, Senegal

Establishment of institutional and business relations with industrial associations and private companies in order to promote Ivorian business opportunities and foster private investments in Senegal

CEPICI, Côte d’Ivoire

Establishment of institutional and business relations with industrial associations and private companies in order to promote Ivorian business opportunities and foster private investments in Ivory Coast

UIA, Uganda

Establishment of institutional and business relations with industrial associations and private companies in order to promote Ivorian business opportunities and foster private investments in Uganda

Investment Promotion Services – Investment Promotion and Information System

The tyre industry in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia

UNIDO DELEGATE Programme

UNIDO DELEGATE Programme

UNIDO DELEGATE Programme

70

TITLE

Investment Promotion Management and Technical Assistance for Industrial Projects, and on CDM of the Kyoto Protocol.

INSTITUTION

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Chinese Officials from the Ministry of Finance and Finance Departments of 8 Chinese Provinces.

Within the framework of a training program financed by the Italian ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the International Training Consortium (CFI), on September 25th UNIDO ITPO Italy organized an ad hoc Seminar aimed at performing a Capacity Building aimed at presenting UNIDO ITPO Italy’s Investment Promotion management and technical assistance for industrial projects, with a particular focus on its Environment and Energy program related to the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol.

71

Projects Under Negotiation in 2007 COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

ARGENTINA

ARG/037/M/05-04

Olive Oil Production for Export

URUGUAY

URY/005/M/06-07

Development of cosmetic products to other companies

URUGUAY

URY/023/I/06-07

Raw materials, herbs and natural products from Uruguay.

VENEZUELA

VEN/001/I/06-02

Land field management in Venezuela

TUNISIA

TUN/371/T/07-03

Automotive - tyres

TUNISIA

TUN/295/R/05-06

Aeroponic plants

TUNISIA

TUN/329/T/06-03

Sand treatment

TUNISIA

TUN/355/T/06-09

Water Treatment

TUNISIA

TUN/333/T/06-04

Recycling technologies

TUNISIA

TUN/327/T/06-03

Marble

TUNISIA

TUN/364/T/07-02

Canned fish

TUNISIA

TUN/365/T/07-02

Canned food

TUNISIA

TUN/359/T/06-12

Seafood

TUNISIA

TUN/375/T/07-03

Waste treatment

TUNISIA

TUN/369/T/07-03

Automotive - tyres

TUNISIA

TUN/352/I/06-08

Steel articles

72

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

TUNISIA

TUN/389/T/07-07

Waste treatment

TUNISIA

TUN/390/T/07-07

Engineering for industrial processes

TUNISIA

TUN/275/T/05-01

Memory cards

TUNISIA

TUN/360/T/07-01

Renewable Energy

TUNISIA

TUN/353/T/06-08

Printing

TUNISIA

TUN/341/T/06-05

Biological olive oil

JORDAN

JOR/2005/011

Holy tree extra virgin olive oil

JORDAN

JOR/2005/034

Recycling of organic solvent

JORDAN

JOR/2005/069

Specialized furniture

JORDAN

JOR/2005/002

Granite, limestone, and travertine - Jordan marble

JORDAN

JOR/2005/04

TRAVCO

JORDAN

JOR/2005/072

Shoe manufacturing

JORDAN

JOR/343/J/07-04

Unique Joint-venture agreement in Industrial park

JORDAN

JOR/337J/07-03

Consulting agreement in an emerging pharmaceutical sub sector

JORDAN

JOR/338/J/07-03

Production and marketing of Cosmetic and Para pharmaceutical

JORDAN

JOR/339/J/07-04

Production of Mozzarella cheese

JORDAN

JOR/2005/038

JWICO Improvement of management production systems

73

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

JORDAN

JOR/2005/013

Iris-Dead Sea personal care products

JORDAN

JOR/2005/012

Rivage - Dead Sea cosmetics

JORDAN

JOR/2005/060

Kitchen and office furniture

JORDAN

JOR/2005/008

Gold and diamonds Jewellery

JORDAN

JOR/2005/024

Production of corrugated and laminated boxes

JORDAN

JOR/2006/080

Primus -Computer Networking systems

JORDAN

JOR/345/J/07-05

Water treatment project

JORDAN

JOR/357/J/07-08

Establishing a medical and Industrial Waste Treatment Plant

JORDAN

JOR/2005/035

Solid waste recycling plant

JORDAN

JOR/2005/038

JWICO Improvement of management production systems

JORDAN

JOR/2005/008

Gold and diamonds Jewellery

JORDAN

JOR/2005/015

BLOOM-Dead Sea beauty products

JORDAN

JOR/2005/064

Toilet soap production

JORDAN

JOR/2005/016

AL ZARA Natural Dead Sea Products

JORDAN

JOR/2005/051

One with Nature Soaps

MOROCCO

MOR/301/R/07-01

Renewable Energy

MOROCCO

MOR/284/R/06-08

Environment

74

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

MOROCCO

MOR/268/R/06-05

Automotive/Spare parts

MOROCCO

MOR/304/R/07-03

Automotive/Filters production

MOROCCO

MOR/149/R/04-03

Textile

MOROCCO

MOR/167/R/04-04

Textile

MOROCCO

MOR/168/R/04-04

Textile

MOROCCO

MOR/236/R/05-05

Renewable energy

MOROCCO

MOR/238/R/05-05

Textile

MOROCCO

MOR/260/R/06-03

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/267/R/06-05

Agro-industry/Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/277/R/06-07

Agro-industry/Cosmetics

MOROCCO

MOR/278/R/06-07

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/289/R/06-10

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/306/R/07-05

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/307/R/07-04

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/316/R/07-04

Textiles

MOROCCO

MOR/325/R/07-05

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/331/R/07-05

Textiles

75

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

MOROCCO

MOR/335/R/07-05

Environment

MOROCCO

MOR/342/R/07-05

Building Materials

MOROCCO

MOR/343/R/07-05

Environment/Electric & Electronics

MOROCCO

MOR/345/R/07-05

Environment/Electric & Electronics

MOROCCO

MOR/355/R/07-07

Agro-industry

MOROCCO

MOR/369/R/07-09

Marble

TUNISIA

TUN/369/T/07-03

Automotive/Retreaded tyre production

TUNISIA

TUN/371/T/07-03

Automotive/Retreaded tyre production

TUNISIA

TUN/369/T/07-03

Automotive/Retreaded tyre production

EGYPT

EGY/296/C/03-06

Chair furniture

EGYPT

EGY/331/C/04-07

Manufacture of Wood and Wood Products

EGYPT

EGY/345/C/05-02

Office Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/356/C/05-05

Logistic services

EGYPT

EGY/401/C/05-09

Furniture and historical monument restoration

EGYPT

EGY/402/C/05-09

Modern Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/418/CL/06-06

Safety shoe manufacturing

EGYPT

EGY/422/C/06-06

Furniture

76

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

EGYPT

EGY/423/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/425/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/431/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/433/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/434/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/435/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/436/C/06-06

Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/437/C/06-06

Kitchen Furniture

EGYPT

EGY/467/C/07-02

waste water treatment plant

EGYPT

EGY/485/C/07-05

Plastic Recycling

SERBIA

SCG/063/I/06-09

Production of software solutions for financial institutions

SERBIA

SCG/036/I/06-08

Fruit processing

SERBIA

SCG/047/I/06-08

Fruit processing

SENEGAL

SEN-08-I-2007-06

Industrial production of chocolate from cashew nut

IVORY COAST

CIV/010/I/07-06

Cosmetic/Palm oil

IVORY COAST

CIV/004/I/07-06

Agribusiness/Cosmetics/Palm Oil

TANZANIA

TAN/001/I/05-06

cashew nut processing plant

77

Projects Concluded in 2007

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

SERBIA

SCG/037/I/06-08

GMP for Pharmaceutical and health products

0,08

SCG/049/I/06-08

Expansion of leather furniture manufacturer - Lagado

0,08

SCG/029/I/06-08

Fruits & Vegetables processing

0,13

SCG/064/I/06-09

Packaging facility for generic pharmaceuticals

0,13

TUN/296/T/05-06

Marble

0,11

TUN/360/T/07-01

Renewable Energy

0,45

TUN/386/T/07-07

Engineering

0,06

TUN/387/T/07-07

Moulds

0,18

TUN/380/T/07-04

Electronic components

0,12

TUN/391/T/07-08

Marble

1,62

34

JOR/346/J/07-05

Prefabricated Structures

8.05

40

JOR/341/J/07-04

Establishment of an olive oil mill

1.220

7

JOR/342/J/07-04

Establishment of an olive oil mill

0.09

25

JOR 340/J /07-04

Expansion of table eggs production

3.192

14

MOR/371/R/07-10

Marble

TUNISIA

JORDAN

MOROCCO

TITLE

78

INVESTMENT JOBS

COUNTRY

EGYPT

ECUADOR

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

MOR/354/R/07-06

Textiles

2.07

450

MOR 292/R/06-11

Marble

0,3

4

EGY/471/CL/07-03

Hotel, Office, Home, Furniture

0,3

8

EGY/489/C/07-05

Environmental and agriculture engineering equipment

0,082

0

EGY/485/CL/07-05

Plastics Recycling

0,92

36

EGY/439/C/06-09

Food industry biscuit-candy-hard candysnacks

1,58

75

EGY/441/C/06-09

Aluminium tubes

3,18

11

EGY/445/CL/06-12

Printing and Packaging

0,59

18

EGY/446/CL/06-12

Tiles and Bricks

4,68

110

EGY/478/C/07-04

Furnishing products

1

45

EGY/482/C/07-04

Waste Treatment and Recycling Systems

0,13

4

ECU/001/I/07-04

Waste compaction, baling and wrapping in Rumi単ahui

2,9

79

INVESTMENT JOBS

Project under implementation COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

INVESTMENT

EMPLOYMENT

SERBIA

SCG/064/I/06-09

Packaging facility for generic pharmaceuticals

0,13

TUNISIA

TUN/290/T/05-06

Seafood processing

0,8

20

TUNISIA

TUN/291/R/05-06

Electronic parts

0,3

20

EGYPT

EGY/471/CL/07-03

Hotel, Office, Home, Furniture

0,3

8

JORDAN

JOR/332/J/06-12

Al Toor extra virgin olive oil

JORDAN

JOR/353/J/07-06

Expansion of an olive oil mill

0,63

4

JORDAN

JOR/2006/088

Marketing agreement in the ICT sector

Operational Projects 2007 COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

SERBIA

SCG/029/I/06-08

SERBIA

SCG/037/I/06-08

SERBIA

SCG/049/I/06-08

EGYPT

EGY/439/CL/06-09

EGYPT EGYPT

TITLE Enlargement of fruit and vegetable product processing operation - NiCom GMP for Pharmaceutical and health products Expansion of leather furniture manufacturer Lagado Food Industry BiscuitCandy-Hard CandySnacks

INVESTMENT EMPLOYMENT

0,08

0,08 0,08 1.58

EGY/482/C/07-04

Waste Treatment and Recycling Systems

0.13

EGY/489/C/07-05

Environmental and agriculture engineering equipment

0,082

80

COUNTRY

PROJECT NUMBER

TITLE

EGYPT

EGY/408/C/06-02

Production of Twines, Elastic nets, Cordages

0,2

JORDAN

JOR/2005/006

Hallabat, granite and limestone

0,487

JORDAN

JOR/340/J/07-04

Expansion of table eggs production

3.01

81

INVESTMENT EMPLOYMENT

14

Company Visits COUNTRY OF INTEREST

DATE

PLACE

COMPANY NAME

SECTOR

17 January 2007

Udine

Stark S.p.A.

Metal cutting field and wood working tools

China

18 January 2007

Udine

Civitech S.r.l.

Manufacturing of metal components

China

31 January 2007

Pordenone

Stampoplastica S.r.l.

Realization of stamps, injection moulding and blow moulding

China

1 February 2007

Pordenone

Microstamp S.r.l.

Technologies for the design and moulding machines

China

1 February 2007

Pordenone

Premek S.r.l.

Mechanical components

China

21 February 2007

Pietrasanta

Barsanti spa

Processing lines for marble and granite

Morocco

2 March 2007

Gualdo Tadino

Crimo Italia Srl

Surgical instruments and medical devices

Tunisia

10-April-07

Marsango

Facco & C spa

Poultry rearing equipment

Jordan

10 May 2007

Casablanca

ATCOMA

Production of Solar Heating systems

Morocco

10 May 2007

Casablanca

FIRST METAL

Production of Solar Heating systems

Morocco

16 May 2007

Turin

Magnetto A. spa

Auto-components

India

11 July 2007

Turin

Magnetto A. spa

Auto-components

India

12 July 2007

Verona

CTM Altromercato

Trade fair organization

Ivory Coast

27 September 2007

Milan

Autotek S.r.l.

Auto-components

China

82

22 November 2007

Foligno

Rapanelli Fioravante Spa

Equipment for olive oil processing

Jordan

8 November 2007

Parma

Consorzio Prosciutto di Parma

Agribusiness Consortium

Morocco

8 November 2007

Reggio Emilia

Consorzio ParmigianoReggiano

Agribusiness Consortium

Morocco

9 November 2007

Bologna

Bruno Magli Spa

Shoes and leather

Morocco

16 October 2007

Fondi (Latina)

SAIM Impianti

Refrigeration plants for agro-industry

Serbia

7 November 2007

Bagnacavallo (Ravenna)

Distillati Rotondi

Grapes and distillates

Serbia

12 December 2007

Rome

Birra Peroni S.p.A.

Beer

Serbia

12 December 2007

Pomezia (Rome)

Cesare Fiorucci S.p.A.

Cooked and cured deli meats

Serbia

83

Study Tours DATE AND LOCATION

PARTICIPANTS

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

03-06 September 2007, Bologna – Italy

7 delegates of the Serbian Agency

Study tour for Serbian Agency on economicfinancial SME appraisal methods and Italian credit guarantee funds (the CONFIDI case).

27 September17 October 2007 Rome, Parma, Ferrara, Turin and Milan - Italy

Mr Jean Ayoub –International consultant to UNIDO HQS

Study tour to promote projects of the food sector identified in Algeria

08 October16 November 2007 Italy

One officer from the Serbian Agency of SMEs

Energy Utilization of Agriculture/forestry Products and by Products. The diffusion of renewable energy utilization or the improvement of the efficiency of the systems that are currently being used in industrial production brings closer economic and social development. Moreover, in Italy there are nowadays well developed and tested technologies for the utilization of renewable energy in the industry that may be, cost effective for stakeholders in developing countries. This joint action ITPO / Serbian Agency for Small and Medium Enterprises increased awareness of partners, stakeholders, and local institutions on the applicability within local contexts of efficient utilization of renewable and waste fuels and the utilization of new renewable energy sources for sustainable industrial production.

18-20 October 2007 Milan and Parma - Italy

Mr.Goerge Nasrawi- President of Syndicate of Lebanese food Industries; Mr. Ziad KhadigIndevco group (Lebanese Packaging industries), Mr.Raja Cortas- Lebanese food Industry/ Cortas Canning, Mr. Fadi Fayyad- Expert on food packaging & labeling, Mr. Michel Hajj Boutros - GPI (Lebanese Packaging Industry), Mr. Fadi Gemayel- President of Syndiacte of Packaging, Mr. Ahmad Hoteit- Lebanese food Industry/ Mills; Ms. Soha Atallah - National Project Coordinator of MACLE Project, Mr Roberto Perissi- International consultant to UNIDO HQS

Study tour organized for a Lebanese Delegation (within UNIDO MACLE project) with the aim of collecting information about the packaging industry in Italy, its relevant Institutions and most up-to-date technology

November 2007 Veneto Region, Italy

Representative of Council for Leather Exports (Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry)

Road-show in Veneto and Marche regions

84

One officer from the Moroccan Centre for Development of Renewable Energies (CDER)

UNIDO ITPO Italy organized, in cooperation with ENEA (Agency for new technologies, energy and environment) and UNIDO IPU Morocco, a visit to ENEA’s research centre at Santa Maria di Galeria (Rome). This visit meant to both illustrate the best available advanced Italian technologies and to encourage contacts between ENEA and CDER. After a presentation of these institutions, the delegation visited ENEA’s photovoltaic laboratory and the thermodynamic solar plant, still in experimental phase.

07-09 November 2007 Prato, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Bologna - Italy

UNIDO Representative Office in Morocco, Ministère de l’Industrie, du Commerce et des Nouvelles Technologies, Ministère du Commerce Extérieur, ASMEX (Association Marocaine des Exportateurs), FEDIC (Fédération des Entreprises du Cuir)

With the aim of supporting the development of Moroccan private sector and strengthen the Public/Private Institutions in charge of sustaining the growth of Moroccan economic and industrial system, the study tour allowed representatives of Ministère de l’Industrie, du Commerce et des Nouvelles Technologies, Ministère du Commerce Extérieur, ASMEX (Association Marocaine des Exportateurs), FEDIC (Fédération des Entreprises du Cuir) to get acquainted with Italian worldwide recognized consortia. Main issues debated were: the standardization of the production processes, the system of traceability, the marketing strategies adopted, the legal tutelage of the product and the consumers developed at international level. Furthermore, the study tour allowed Moroccan delegation to establish direct contacts with many other prominent Italian institutions and companies operating in the fashion system, in the textile and the leather sector as well as with Italian industrial associations such as Unindustria Bologna, Unindustria Prato, Polimoda and Tecnotessile.

10 - 12 December 2007, Rome and Pomezia

Mr Mladen Stojanovic, Ms Jelena Radoman Ilic, Mr Oliver Ognjenovic, - Serbian Agency for SMEs; Ms Mirjana PaunovRegional Agency Zrenjanin, Ms Ljiljana Markovic- Regional Agency Beograd, Mr Goran Lapcevic- Regional Agency Krusevac, Mr Mario BorisicRegional Agency Kragujevac, Mr Svetozar Matic- Ministry of Economy and Regional Development – SME Department, Ms Milica VracaricRegional Agency Novi Sad

Study tour for Serbian Agency of the main Italian National and Regional Institutions supporting SMEs

06 November 2007 Province of Rome, Italy

85

86

Press Review

87

Newsletter Safe - December 2007

88

Pneurama – March/April 2007 p.17

89

www.eurofinanza.it - September, 14 2007

90

www.agenziaaise.it – September, 12 2007

91

Il Piccolo – September, 26 2007 p.13

92

www.intoscana.it – November, 26 2007

93

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Investment and Technology Promotion Office Italy Rome, 2008

94

95

Printed In Italy 0001 - March 2008 -il250 Aggiornato 10/01/2008

UNITED NATIONS INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION Investment and Technology Promotion Office, Italy Via Paola 41, 00186 Rome - Italy Tel.: (+39) 06 679 6521; Fax: (+39) 06 679 3570 e-mail: roma@unido.it; www.unido.it 96