Karim ould Chih is Division Chief of Innovative Finance and International Financial Institutions at UNIDO in Vienna/Austria. In his function, he oversees a team that supports UNIDO’s technical cooperation work with the design of financial components and that establishes and manages partnerships with public and private financial institutions active in SDG-financing. Karim joined UNIDO in 2023 as Chief Advisor Innovative Finance, leading a team to conceptualize and establish the Transformation Pathways Fund, a global impact investment fund in partnership with Finance in Motion to support the sustainable transformation of industry in EMDEs. Prior to joining UNIDO, Karim was over 20 years with KfW Development Bank, most lately as Managing Director of a KfW subsidiary to promote green hydrogen in EMDEs. His work allowed him to gain different perspectives at headquarter and in field positions in Mozambique and Brazil, working in private and financial sector development, biodiversity protection, renewable energies, and green hydrogen. During his career, Karim specialized in the conceptualization and implementation of SDG-related innovative financial instruments such as investment funds, an SME bank, a limited liability company, debt swaps and others. He held positions in Supervisory Boards, Chair of Investment Committees and TA Facilities. With his extensive expertise in development banking and blended finance, Karim is committed to advancing financial instruments in UNIDO’s work and expanding partnerships with financial institutions.