Background
UNIDO has rich experience in promoting the development of industrial parks. As early as 1978, UNIDO issued the first guidelines for the establishment of industrial parks. In 1988, guidelines and standards for the construction of small industrial parks were issued. For more than 40 years, UNIDO has been actively involved in the planning, design, and management of industrial parks around the world and provides comprehensive assistance to parks in Member States at different development stages. Since the 1970s, UNIDO has been an active consultant and partner of its Member States in the planning, design, and management of industrial parks, export processing zones, special economic zones and eco-industrial parks.
In 2019, UNIDO has published the International Guidelines for Industrial Parks providing step-by-step advice on the planning, development and operation of industrial parks for different stakeholders, including industrial park regulators, developers, operators, tenants, partners (such as multilateral development agencies) and financial institutions. The Guidelines are relevant to both existing and new industrial parks in various international contexts, with a focus on the needs and challenges that developing countries and middle-income economies face.
It builds on UNIDO’s extensive experience in promoting the establishment of industrial parks, export processing zones, special economic zones and eco-industrial parks around the world to support sustainable growth through industrial development. The Guidelines were developed to help countries benefit from UNIDO’s expertise in capacity-building and technical assistance at different stages of industrial park development.
The Guidelines fill an existing gap in the area of industrial parks development and management, as well setting basic international standards and serving as a tool to promote international good practices. The Guidelines provide guidance for the upgrade and development of modern and well-equipped industrial parks in compliance with health and safety standards, energy management standards, environmental safeguarding and other standards.
To better use the Guidelines, stakeholders recommend to conduct country specific studies to evaluate the performance of the industrial parks in the country (e.g. a comparative research on the localized performance indicator systems of the Guidelines in the country).