Signed by PCNS Executive President Karim El Aynaoui and UNIDO Director General Special Representative for the Arab Region Hanan Hanzaz, the new strategic partnership underscores both organizations' dedication to fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial growth, as well as promoting economic and social progress, PCNS said in a statement.

Signed on Thursday in Rabat, the declaration outlines a framework for collaboration between the two parties to drive policy research, provide policy advice, and build capacity in areas crucial for industrial development.

Key themes include industrial policies and strategies, structural change and productivity, industrial decarbonization, sustainable supply chain and circular economy, science, technology and innovation, digitalisation and future of industries in the age of Artificial Intelligence and strategy to combat climate change.

The partnership also aims to address specific challenges faced by Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), ensuring that industrial growth benefits the most vulnerable, the statement noted.

The Policy Center for the New South is a Moroccan think tank aiming to contribute to the improvement of economic and social public policies that challenge Morocco and the rest of Africa as integral parts of the global South.

As such, the PCNS brings together researchers, publishes their work and capitalizes on a network of renowned partners, representative of different regions of the world.

UNIDO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with a unique mandate to promote, dynamize and accelerate industrial development.  Its vision is a world without poverty and hunger, where industry drives low-emission economies, improves living standards, and preserves the livable environment for present and future generations.