Ankara, Türkiye, 9–10 September 2026 — The United Nations Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries (UNTB) Managing Director, Mr Roland Mollerus, visited Ankara for high-level meetings with government officials, United Nations representatives and development partners.
Accompanied by Ms Federica Irene Falomi, Economic Affairs Officer, Mr Mollerus met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry and Technology, Presidency of Strategy and Budget, COP31 Presidency Office and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, as well as representatives of the Norwegian and Dutch embassies.
Strengthening cooperation with the Turkish Government
Türkiye, as the Technology Bank’s host country and principal donor, was at the centre of the visit. Discussions with government counterparts focused on preparations for the 2027–2031 partnership and financing framework, including future areas of cooperation and the next financial agreement.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ambassador Aylin Sekizk?k, Director General for International Economic Affairs, reaffirmed Türkiye’s commitment to supporting the Technology Bank and the importance of LDCs in Türkiye’s foreign policy.
The delegation also met Deputy Minister Mr Muhammet Kas?m G?nüllü at the Ministry of Industry and Technology to explore areas for future collaboration, including the LDC-GIF mechanism, Technology Makers Lab and TechBridge, which supports SMEs in LDCs to make effective use of digital technologies.
Preparing for COP31 and strengthening UN coordination
The visit also provided an opportunity to strengthen coordination ahead of COP31. In discussions with UN Resident Coordinator in Türkiye Mr Babatunde Ahonsi, UNTB shared plans for its engagement at COP31, including a co-hosted event with the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), as well as the planned launch of the LDC-GIF initiative.
The UN meetings also covered arrangements for UNTB’s future presence in Türkiye. The Istanbul UN Common Premises is expected to become operational by mid-2027, while options for Ankara include space within the RCO premises and a potential location at METU Technopark.
Engaging development partners
As part of efforts to strengthen engagement with development partners, Mr Mollerus also met H.E. Mr Andreas Gaarder, Ambassador of Norway, and Mr Hanno Würzner, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Embassy of the Netherlands. Discussions covered evolving development cooperation priorities and opportunities for continued engagement and resource mobilization.
The visit strengthened UNTB’s engagement with key partners in Türkiye and provided further momentum for discussions on the Technology Bank’s next partnership and financing framework.
