UNCTAD takes stock of the emerging facilitation features in investment treaties and offers policy options to gear them towards sustainable development in its latest report.

The report will inform the discussion at the Investment Facilitation: International Policy Developments session, a key event taking place as part of the prestigious 8th World Investment Forum, 16-20 October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

New-generation investment treaties are increasingly embracing investment facilitation features, with prominent examples at the international, regional and bilateral levels and across all continents.

Yet, much more is needed. Save for a few exceptions, new treaties continue to lack clear and proactive investment facilitation commitments specific to sustainable investment or the necessary level of technical assistance and capacity-building for developing countries.

Building on best practices, UNCTAD has developed a set of policy options and ground-level actions that can enable governments to transform their investment treaties into tools to effectively channel investment towards sustainable development and further national investment facilitation priorities.

Download the report

Investment facilitation and investment treaty reform events at the World Investment Forum 2023

UNCTAD’s report constitutes the background document for the Investment Facilitation: International Policy Developments session, part of the 8th World Investment Forum, 16-20 October in Abu Dhabi. The session unites key actors in investment facilitation: governments, development partners, private sector representatives, and regional/international organizations. It will highlight strategies and innovative approaches to align investment facilitation provisions in investment treaties with the goal of attracting sustainable investment and promoting sustainable development.

The World Investment Forum hosts more than 7,000 stakeholders from 160 countries, participating in over 140 events. It will feature Investment Facilitation and International Investment Agreements events involving key stakeholders throughout the week:

• Investment Facilitation: International Policy Developments
• High-Level IIA Conference
• The AfCFTA Protocol on Investment: Towards a New Generation of Investment Policies in Africa
• D-8 Organization for Economic Cooperation - UNCTAD Guiding Principles for Investment
• IsDB Investment Policy Principles
• Investment Facilitation: National Success Stories
• Investment Facilitation: Digital Tools

Take the opportunity to join the discussion and register today.

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