Industry Advisor Adilur Rahman Khan led a 4-member Bangladesh delegation to participate in the 11th Ministerial Conference of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and hosted by the Government of Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on Saturday (November 22, 2025).
The theme of this year’s Ministerial Conference was “Driving inclusive industrialization in LDCs: Investment, Innovation and Partnerships”. The conference held two high-level thematic panels on key issues including investment and finance mobilization for sustainable industrial development and formulating transformative industrial policies to ensure irreversible transition from LDCs. Ministers, ambassadors and permanent representatives of LDCs, representatives of the private sector and stakeholders participated in the conference.
The Industry Advisor participated as a panelist in the high-level discussion titled “Shaping LDCs Industrialization Agenda: Ministerial Dialogue on Investment, Innovation and Partnership”. He highlighted Bangladesh’s journey to transition from LDC status and emphasized the three priorities announced by the Honorable Principal Advisor to the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus—zero carbon emissions, zero unemployment and zero poverty.
The Industry Advisor also noted that Bangladesh is rapidly moving towards smart manufacturing and value chain integration in light of the National Industrial Policy 2022. He emphasized that investment, innovation and partnership are the key drivers for sustainable industrialization and inclusive growth of LDCs. He also highlighted the important role of the SME sector as the backbone of industrial development and its strategic importance for the sustainable development of LDCs.
The Industrial Adviser co-chaired the informal session on the proposed Ministerial Declaration for LDC Member States. The outcome document of the conference will be adopted at the 21st General Conference (GC) of UNIDO in Riyadh from 23–27 November 2025.
Overall, the conference provided a significant opportunity for the Industrial Adviser to exchange views on important issues with representatives of LDCs and developed countries, participate in discussions and directly contribute to the deliberations of the Riyadh Conference. Mr. Toufiq Hasan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to UNIDO in Vienna, also participated in the conference as a member of the delegation.
