United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

About the Committee:

The Industrial Development Organization is a specialized agency of the UN dedicated to the acceleration of inclusive and sustainable industrialization. Decoupling environmental degradation and economic growth and empowering developing nations’ meaningful integration into the global economy are vital components of promoting climate change resiliency, making the work of this committee crucial to safeguarding future global stability. This committee will simulate the UNIDO General Conference, the supreme policy making organ of UNIDO to which all Member States convene once every two years to determine the guiding principles and priorities for the Organization. The primary topics of focus for this committee will be agro-industrial development and the equitable involvement of women, youth, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in global supply chains. Through lively debates on these issues, delegates will be invited to discuss effective strategies for agri-business and agro-value chain development — revitalizing rural economies, reducing poverty, and enhancing food security — and strengthening the access of historically-excluded populations to opportunities for economic independence.

A LETTER FROM THE DaiS:

Hello Delegates,

My name is Samantha Malcolm (she/her), and I am so excited to be your Director for the UN Industrial Development Organization this year! I am a senior studying public policy at the Ford School with a concentration in environment and development economics and a minor in economics. Along with my involvement in MUNUM, I am a member of the Kappa Alpha Pi Pre-Law Fraternity, a project manager for the Environmental Consulting Organization, and a policy chair for the Michigan Institute of Progressive Policy. I am an avid reader, especially of the historical fiction genre; I love getting to explore unfamiliar time periods, geographical settings, and conflicts based in historical truth but told through a creative fictional lens with captivating storytelling – which explains my passion for Model UN! I also love cooking, watching basketball (go Celtics), and being outside in nature; back home, I live on a ranch with a herd of cows (and used to own goats, too)!

This will be my fourth and final year staffing MUNUM — I previously served as Assistant Director for the Specialized Committee on Consumer Protection in 2024 and for the World Health Organization General Assembly in 2025 — and I look forward once again to another wonderful conference. I have consistently been both impressed and inspired by the creative effort and dedication contributed by all the delegates each year and am excited to see how you work together to craft innovative solutions to the challenges you will face! Please feel welcome to contact me with any questions or concerns that may arise as you prepare for the conference in January! My email address is smgoblue@umich.edu. 

Best,

Samantha