TEHRAN - Deputy Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Hossein Selahvarzi has said the Iranian private sector is ready to collaborate with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) on industrial development and digitalization of the economy.

Speaking in a meeting with the UNIDO representative in Tehran, Selahvarzi underlined the significance of cooperation between UNIDO and the Iranian private sector for the industrial development of the country and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the ICCIMA portal reported on Tuesday.

Supporting the presence of the Iranian private sector in regional and global arenas, creating new capacities in value-added production, developing cooperation, promoting Iran's position in the export sector, as well as improving the business environment were some of the areas that the attendees of the meeting proposed for cooperation between UNIDO and the Iranian private sector.

Addressing the meeting, Selahvarzi noted that the Iranian government emphasizes increasing the private sector's role in the economy and reducing cumbersome regulations to aid economic growth.

In recent years, ICCIMA has also taken great steps to promote the position of the private sector, and now there is a great opportunity for cooperation with UNIDO for promoting industrial development in the country, he said.

“We look forward to working with UNIDO on a variety of areas, including improving the business environment, digitizing the economy, and developing the industry,” the official stressed.

The UNIDO representative in his speech noted that his organization is ready to study different fields for working in Iran.

“Of course, UNIDO's agenda is sustainable industrial development and cooperation with the private sector. There is a lot of potentials to work on, including supporting the digitalization of the economy and improving the production chain,” the official said.

"We try to identify the obstacles first and design the program after identifying the challenges," he said.

According to the envoy, UNIDO is paying special attention to the development and support of SMEs on the path toward digitalization and marketing.

EF/MA