Sixth Report on G20 Investment Measures

At their Summits in London, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Seoul, G20 Leaders committed to forgo protectionism and requested public reports on their adherence to this undertaking. The present document is the sixth report on investment and investment-related measures in response to this mandate.It has been prepared jointly by the OECD and UNCTAD Secretariats and covers investment policy and investment-related measures taken between 29 April 2011 and 6 October 2011.

On the whole, G20 members have continued to honour their pledge not to retreat into investment protectionism. Most of the few investment policy measures taken during the reporting period represent continued moves towards eliminating restrictions to international capital flows and improving clarity for investors. However, there have also been a few instances of new restrictions.

G20 members have discontinued almost all support measures in response to the financial and economic crisis and are slowly winding down financial positions acquired during their earlier interventions. However, the recent resurgence of turbulence in financial markets and weakening growth prospects could create pressure for new government measures to support companies. At a time when the global economy urgently needs a boost from private investment to generate growth and jobs, short-term crisis management will need to be coordinated with efforts to boost long-term productive investment. Ensuring that any future crisis response measures are as transparent and non-discriminatory as possible will help limit damage to the functioning of global capital markets.