Jennifer Castañeda Navarrete highlights gender-inclusive industrial policy at UNIDO’s 21st General Conference

On 25 November, Dr Jennifer Castañeda Navarrete participated in a high-level panel at UNIDO’s 21st General Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Jennifer participated in the side-event “Bridging the Gap: Global Challenges and Solutions for Women in Industry” which brought together international experts to explore how industrial policy, robust data systems and targeted initiatives can address persistent gender gaps and expand opportunities for women in manufacturing and high-technology sectors.

Drawing on evidence from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the UK’s Women in Manufacturing initiative, Bahrain’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and UNIDO’s SDG 9 Progress Report 2025, the discussion underscored the importance of data-driven policymaking, institutional collaboration, and targeted interventions for building sustainable, innovation-led, and socially inclusive industrial systems. A Fireside Chat with UNIDO’s Industrial Policy Lab and Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development and Logistics Program (NIDLP) showcased practical tools and cross-sector models for embedding gender perspectives throughout the policy cycle and supporting equitable industrial transformation.

During the session, Jennifer shared insights from the Women in Manufacturing UK (WiM UK) initiative, showing how practical, evidence-based tools can help embed gender considerations into industrial strategies—through clear policy objectives, incentives that promote inclusive practices, and accountability mechanisms to measure progress.

The event convened panellists from government, academia, international organisations and industry to reflect on global evidence and emerging solutions. Participants included:

• Dr Manal Almakoshi, Authority of People with Disability
• Dr Fernando Cantu Bazaldua, UNIDO
• Eng. Salem Alsharmah, Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia
• Dr Abdulmohsen Alalshiekh, Saudi Economic Association
• Dr Sumaya Hashim, Jönköping University

Watch the event livestream