Co-organized by UNIDO ITPO Italy and its partner the Italian Apulia Region, the workshop “International Cooperation for Development. Opportunities for enterprises from Apulia” was held on October 2nd 2024 within the framework of the International Business Week of the 87th edition of Fiera del Levante.

During the panel, UNIDO ITPO Italy highlighted its pivotal role in combining the aspirations of internationalization of SMEs with the goals of sustainability and development cooperation. Key themes of discussion — also highlighted, among other speakers, by Regional Assessor of Apulia Region for Economic Development Alessandro Delli Noci and Director of the Economic Development Department of Apulia Region Gianna Elisa Berlingerio — were the need to develop new cooperation activities involving local stakeholders also in training activities, as well as the crucial attention to innovation and increased synergies with universities and research centres.

The workshop — also joined by representatives of UNIDO ITPO Italy's partner Acquedotto Pugliese, the United Nations Global Service Center in Brindisi and the Enterprise Division of Iccrea Bank — was part of the initiatives agreed upon on the occasion of the Joint Declaration signed between UNIDO ITPO Italy and Apulia Region on June 26th 2024, aimed at promoting the competitiveness of SMEs towards emerging economies.