in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commissions for Africa; for Asia and the Pacific; for West Asia and for Latin America and the Caribbean
About this session
Most regional economic cooperation organizations consider FDI an important factor for sustainable economic development and regional integration. Some regional organizations and cooperative frameworks have been more active than others in rolling out collective initiatives in support of a conducive investment environment, or in joint investment promotion, and results vary. What policy lessons can be drawn from the different experiences across regions? In this Roundtable, panellists from various regional organizations and cooperative frameworks will discuss the main challenges of regional integration in investment policy. They will review regional investment trends and share experiences in investment policy and regional cooperation in investment promotion. They will discuss potential future investment trends in light of current developments in the world economy, and outline prospects for future regional cooperation.
Issues to be addressed
- How has regional integration in different parts of the world shaped global and regional investment trends and how will they affect them in the future?
- What are the main challenges of regional integration in investment policy?
- What good investment-policy practices and lessons learned can be replicated across regional groupings?
Speakers
Mr. Richard Bolwijn
Head of Investment Research, Division on Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD
Mr. James X. Zhan
Director, Division on Investment and Enterprise, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Mr. Goran Svilanovic
Secretary-General, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mr. Emir Djikic
Director, Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) Secretariat, Brussels, Belgium
Mr. José Palacín
Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Office of the Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Geneva, Switzerland
Mr. Thierry Kalonji
Director, Investment and Promotion and Private Sector Development, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
Mr. Stephen Karingi
Director, Capacity Development Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
Mr. Chanchal Chand Sarkar
Director, Economic, Trade and Finance Division, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretariat
Mr. Fahad H. Khan
Economist, Regional Cooperation and Integration Division, Economics Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, Philippines
Mr. Marc Proksch
Chief, Investment and Enterprise Development Section, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
Ms. Cecilia Plottier
Economic Affairs Officer, Production, Productivity and Management Division, United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC), Santiago de Chile, Chile
Mr. Kenan Bagci
Acting Director, Economic and Social Research Department, Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), Ankara, Turkey