In September 2015, United Nations member States agreed on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To reach these goals, UNCTAD has estimated that current investment levels fall short by not less than $2.5 trillion annually in developing countries alone. UNCTAD therefore calls for governments, in particular investment promotion agencies (IPAs), to help narrow that gap with private investment, including foreign direct investment (FDI). The UNCTAD action package for investment in the SDGs includes several recommendations that relate to the work of IPAs, such as developing and marketing pipelines of bankable Goals-related projects; development of partnerships with outward investment agencies, including development banks; reorientation of incentives and guarantees to support Goals-related investment, e.g., projects that build resilient infrastructure, increase the use of green energy, create decent jobs and foster gender equality. Organized in cooperation with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), the workshop will provide investment promotion officials state-of-the-art knowledge to help their organizations to engage effectively in narrowing the SDG-related investment gap and contribute to the achievement of Agenda 2030. Best practices, feedback and insights from IPAs will be systematized and incorporated in UNCTAD’s investment related research work and technical cooperation programme.
Speaker(s)
