At the request of South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency and in line with the priorities set out for the Trade and Investment Working Group, this report presents twin toolboxes for “Harnessing Investment Policies for Clean Energy, Digital Transformation, and Public Health”. Developed jointly by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the toolboxes respond directly to the priorities identified by the South African Presidency Issue Note (December 2024), which called for practical approaches to mobilizing trade and investment in support of global challenges.

The objective of the toolboxes is to provide G20 members and their partners with a pragmatic and flexible policy resource to align investment flows with clean energy development, digital transformation, and public health. The toolboxes encompass two complementary policy domains that together reflect a comprehensive spectrum of issues shaping cross-border investment today. First, international investment agreements (IIAs) are examined, drawing on UNCTAD’s and OECD’s longstanding work to modernize international investment governance and ensure that IIAs contribute to sustainable development. Second, broader investment policies are addressed, which focus on domestic policy frameworks and a whole-of-government investment policy approach to link investment policies with national objectives in clean energy and digital sectors. By bringing together both international and domestic policy aspects, this report seeks to support G20 policymakers in designing integrated investment strategies that mobilize private capital while delivering concrete benefits for productivity, innovation, job quality, environmental sustainability, and public health resilience.

The G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Statement of 10 October 2025 (Gqeberha, South Africa) refers to the report developed by UNCTAD and the OECD. The accompanying Chair’s summary states:

“Members acknowledged the invaluable contribution of the United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its development. The Toolbox highlights the need to align international investment agreements with domestic priorities through a whole-of-government approach that secures coherence, coordination and accountability. The Toolbox supports an enabling environment for sustainable investment and provides a foundation for peer learning in mobilising investment for the clean energy transition, digital transformation and investment in health.”

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