Investment Ministerial Roundtable

International investment is in a rocky period. After a long decade of virtual stagnation, global FDI flows fell steeply during the pandemic, then recovered rapidly but unevenly, and are today affected by multiple challenges and crises. There are pockets of solid growth, for example in infrastructure investment and renewables, but also pockets of stagnation, notably in several SDG-relevant investment sectors and in the poorer regions of the world. Now, halfway towards the 2030 target for the SDGs and with investment needs to reach the Paris climate goals ever more urgent, it is crucial for policymakers at the highest level to come together to identify policy options and solutions to boost investment where it is needed most.

The Investment Ministerial Roundtable will address all the key investment challenges caused by today’s multiple global crises, including the need to invest in food security, health systems, supply chain resilience and productive capacity growth in the poorest countries. A particular focus will be climate finance and investment and the energy transition.

The Roundtable will allow Ministers to share their views on national and international investment policy priorities and to exchange experiences on successful approaches for the mobilization of finance and the channeling of investment to areas and projects conducive to sustainable development, with a view to identifying replicable solutions and policy options. It will also provide an opportunity for dialogue on the most pressing challenges and obstacles to boosting international investment in the energy transition and sustainable infrastructure. The outcome, in the form of a summary by the co-chairs, will help shape the debate in other relevant intergovernmental processes, most notably COP28, which will take place only a month later in the UAE.

Session themes:

• What are the key priorities for governments around the world in national and international investment policymaking in the coming years?
• What are their recent experiences and lessons learned in investment policymaking for sustainable development?
• What approaches are countries adopting specifically to stimulate international investment in the energy transition?