RIYADH: The 21st General Conference of the UN Industrial Development Organization opens today in Riyadh, bringing together industry leaders, policymakers, and experts from 173 countries under the umbrella of the Global Industry Summit 2025. 

The five-day gathering, organized by UNIDO in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, is being held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center from Nov. 23 to 27, the Saudi Press Agency reported. 

Speaking at the opening session, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef said Saudi Arabia views its partnership with UNIDO as central to the Kingdom’s industrial transformation and global cooperation efforts.  

“We are committed to supporting UNIDO’s vision of creating a more equitable economic future for all, driven by sustainable industrial development,” he said.   

He added that while the Kingdom takes pride in its national achievements, it sees its progress as part of “supporting a shared mission that brings us all here under UNIDO’s 21st General Conference.” 

Alkhorayef also highlighted the automotive industry as an example of how Saudi strategies under Vision 2030 are reshaping the industrial landscape. 

“In just one segment, for example, automotive, we are well on our way to creating an automotive sector that will contribute to our non-oil GDP by $24 billion by 2030, creating more than 30,000 jobs,” he said.  

He noted that the Kingdom is simultaneously advancing related fields, including electric vehicles, robotics, and energy storage, as part of a broader plan “guided above all by the values of responsibility and cooperation.”  

Alkhorayef said the Kingdom’s industrial momentum is backed by large-scale investment commitments. 

“Already, the numbers show that our investments are expanding and our industrial base is positioning the Kingdom as an emerging industrial powerhouse. The existing pipeline for projects now exceeds $500 billion. Our trajectory to achieve the goals of 2035 to build an industrial base of 36,000 factories is clear. The pace is ongoing,” he said.  

He added that three national strategies — the comprehensive strategy for mining and metals, the national export strategy, and the national industrial strategy — are transforming the Kingdom’s industrial base. 

The minister emphasized that these plans are already generating large-scale industrial opportunities.   

“The strategy has identified more than 800 specific industrial opportunities between now and 2035,” he said, pointing to growth in areas such as electric vehicles, pharmaceuticals, downstream chemicals and renewables.    

Alkhorayef also underscored the Kingdom’s focus on human capital, particularly women and youth, as industrial transformation accelerates.   

“We have doubled female participation in the industrial workforce in less than a decade,” he said, citing training platforms such as the National Industrial Academy and the National Automotive and Vehicle Academy.   

With 60 percent of the population under 35, he said, Saudi Arabia is ensuring that young people are empowered, ensuring their participation and their fair share of prosperity, by focusing on high-value investments, bringing the right partnerships, and developing our industrial sector and driving growth. 

Structured around the theme “The power of investment and partnerships to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals,” the summit will examine how new investment models, industrial innovation, and global value-chain realignments can support inclusive and resilient growth. 

The summit underscores Saudi Arabia’s growing role in the global industrial landscape, particularly as the Kingdom accelerates efforts to diversify its economy by expanding its industrial and manufacturing base. 

The event aims to explore the future of sustainable manufacturing, strengthen cooperation between major industrialized and developing nations, and enhance the participation of women and youth in shaping the future of global industry. 

According to SPA, more than 150 speakers will take part in the summit, including 20 ministers and 35 chief executives of leading global companies, with notable participation from speakers representing Arab countries and Gulf Cooperation Council states.  

Among the confirmed speakers are Bandar Alkhorayef, minister of industry and mineral resources, and Khalid Al-Falih, minister of investment. 

Among the confirmed speakers is Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’s minister of investment.  

Other speakers include Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salamah, vice minister of industry and mineral resources for industrial affairs; Munir Eldesouki, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology; and Suliman Almazroua, president of the Saudi Ports Authority. 

The lineup also features a group of international officials, including Indonesia’s Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita; Ecuador’s Minister of Production, Foreign Trade and Investment Luis Alberto Jaramillo; and Iraq’s Minister of Industry and Minerals Khalid Battal Al-Najim. 

Additional speakers include Morocco’s Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour; former Austrian federal minister for digital and economic affairs Margarete Schramböck; and Guinea’s Minister of Commerce, Industry and SMEs Diaka Sidibé. 

Following the opening session, the program will continue with thematic tracks. The conference’s Investment and Partnerships Day will focus on reimagining trade, industrial value chains, and AI-driven innovation, and explore issues such as trade protectionism and industrial financing for the Global South. 

Women’s Empowerment Day will address the structural barriers that limit women’s participation in industry and highlight successful global and regional initiatives to enhance their leadership and contribution to economic growth. 

On the Future Generation Day, the event will place young people at the center of the industrial dialogue, with sessions on AI skills, the digital economy, green jobs, entrepreneurship, and pathways from education to industry. 

Youth delegations from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the GCC will take part, alongside presentations highlighting Saudi Arabia’s efforts in developing digital skills and building startup ecosystems. 

During the event, Khalil bin Ibrahim bin Salamah, vice minister of industry and mineral resources for industrial affairs, said Saudi women are playing an increasingly central role in the sector.

He noted that “Saudi women today constitute more than 40 percent of the total industrial workforce in the small and medium enterprise sector, with rapid growth in their representation in administrative and leadership positions.”