Four awards for outstanding performance in attracting foreign direct investment projects that support sustainable development, given during the grand opening of the UNCTAD World Investment Forum on 13 October 2014 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, recognized the work of investment promotion agencies from around the world.
The four winning agencies were Investt from Trinidad and Tobago, the Rwanda Development Board, Trade and Investment South Africa and United Kingdom Trade and Investment.
Presenting the awards were Mehdi Jomaa, interim Prime Minister of Tunisia, Michael Møller, United Nations Office in Geneva Acting Director-General, Abdelwahad Radi, Inter-Parliamentary Union President, and Didier Drogba, United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador.
Thirty-one projects from 29 agencies had qualified for the awards. The agencies showed achievements in the areas of renewable energy, green manufacturing, waste treatment, electrical vehicles and green housing construction.
The investment promotion agencies received the awards for their role in attracting and facilitating the projects and efforts in magnifying their economic, social and environmental impact, James Zhan, Director, UNCTAD Division on Investment and Enterprise, said.
Among those attending were Didier Burkhalter, President of Switzerland, Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and François Longchamp, President of the Council of State of the Canton of Geneva.
This year's Investment Promotion Awards for excellence in promoting foreign direct investment for sustainable development come at a critical juncture, as United Nations Member States prepare to adopt a set of sustainable development goals for the period up to 2030. The goals will encompass a wide range of economic, social and environmental objectives as well as measures aimed at climate change mitigation and adaption.
Investment promotion agency executives, senior policymakers and business leaders from over 130 countries will carry forward the momentum created by the awards ceremony, by discussing best practices and exploring means of attracting foreign direct investment for infrastructure projects, green growth, more and better jobs and social development.