Training on Eco-Industrial Parks (EIP) performance assessment  

Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme in Egypt

Industrial development plays a crucial role in Egypt’s sustainable development strategies and overall economic growth. With rising costs of raw materials, energy, and water, as well as growing importance of mitigating climate change impacts, ensuring sustainability and resource efficiency within factories and industrial parks has become vital for enhancing profitability and competitiveness in the industrial sector.

In this context, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, held a specialized training on May 31, 2023 titled “Training on Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs) performance assessment”. The training aimed at raising the awareness of benefits of the EIPs and presented the importance of assessing the performance of the industrial zones against the International Framework for Eco-industrial Parks (EIPs). The training also demonstrated the benefits of transforming to an EIP, how to map the challenges facing this transformation and how to overcome them.

Interactive training sessions was conducted to enable the participants to assess the industrial zones/parks and measure the performance based on data of each industrial area through the EIP Assessment Tool developed by UNIDO. The trainees also learnt how to plan and monitor the opportunities available for industrial zones/parks to be able to transform these industrial zones/parks areas to EIPs.

The training targeted industrial zones, developers and operators of industrial parks and complexes to learn methodologies to manage and operate their industrial zones/parks and the different roles of industrial zone/park management for the successful development of an EIP. It also targeted representatives and managers of different industrial zones and parks and departments responsible for planning and operation of industrial zones/parks.

Representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the New Urban Communities Authority, the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone, Cairo for Investment and Development and private sector industrial parks expressed the importance of the training to build the capacities that would steer the transformation to EIPs capitalizing on the industrial development strategies in Egypt in general.

The training was held within GEIPP Egypt under the framework of the Global Eco-Industrial Parks Programme (GEIPP) in Developing and Transition Countries currently funded by Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by UNIDO in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI). The project aims to  demonstrate the benefits of EIP approaches in scaling up resource productivity and improving economic, environmental and social performances of businesses and thereby contributing to inclusive and sustainable industrial development. The policy development component is implemented through a consulting alliance from Chemonics Egypt Consultants in cooperation with Weber Consulting (Germany).