16/03/05

The WAIPA World Investment Conference 2005, 9-10 March 2005, Geneva - Swtizerland

The WAIPA World Investment Conference took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 and 10 March 2005. The event, now in its tenth year, continues to consolidate its position as the world's largest annual gathering of senior investment promotion professionals. 233 delegates participated in the two-day event, 50 of whom came from Asia, 53 from Africa, 91 from Europe, 10 from North America, 6 from South America, 19 from Central America and Caribbean and 4 from Oceania. 67 of the 79 participating IPAs were represented by their chief executives. The meeting also attracted numerous representatives of the private sector, ranging from service providers, business information professionals and media representatives, as well as officials of international and multilateral organizations, NGOs and academia.

The theme of this year’s WAIPA meeting annual conference was "Investment in Services". Following presentations on "FDI Trends in Services", the plenary segments took the form of interactive debates, moderated by media representatives, on "FDI in Business Support Services", "Attracting FDI in Service Clusters" and "Developing Health Services through FDI". This new and dynamic format of the conference has been greatly appreciated by WAIPA members.

A two-day pre-WAIPA workshop on "Strategic Marketing: how to develop and implement a targeted marketing plan for attracting inward investment" was attended by 47 participants, 8 of whom were Heads of IPAs. Numerous half-day workshops were organized on the second day of the Conference covering a diversity of topics, namely, "Strategies to Attract and Retain Foreign Investment Projects", "Geneva Economic Development - developing a diversified and high added value investment. A historical perspective", "Competing for FDI Best Practices and IPA Benchmarking of Investor Servicing", "E-Government Tools for IPAs Investment Promotion", or "Exchange of Best Practices in IPA Policy Advocacy". The general feedback that the Secretariat has received to date indicates that all of the workshops were appreciated by attendees.

This year WAIPA awarded the IPAs that offer the best e(electronic)-Investment Facilitation services. By presenting these awards, WAIPA delivered a clear message of support for the prizewinners that they are on the right path for effective e-facilitation.
The awards were given in three categories of e-Investment Facilitation:
(i) e-regulations and procedures
(ii) e-investment opportunities and
(iii) most promising web site or runner up.
The prize for Best Practice in e-Procedures was for the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) website www.investjapan.org.
The prize for Best Practice in e-Opportunities was for ProInversión from Peru, www.proinversion.gob.pe and
the prize for Runner-up in e-Investment Facilitation was for the Agence Nationale Chargée de la Promotion de l'Investissement et des Grands Travaux (APIX) from Senegal for its website www.apix.sn.

A site visit was organized on Friday 11 March 2005 to the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.

Commission on Investment, Technology and Related Financial Issues,
9th session, 7-11 March 2005, Geneva - Switzerland

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD's) Commission on Investment, Technology and Related Financial Issues held its annual session back-to-back with the tenth WAIPA World Investment Conference in Geneva - Switzerland, Palais des Nations, from 7 to 11 March 2005. Many substantive issues were discussed, including emerging FDI from developing countries, investor-State disputes and policy implications, investment policy reviews, and attracting FDI in service clusters in furtherance of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The conclusions and recommendations from the Commission encourage a continued partnership between the Commission and WAIPA, in the context of the Investment for Development Partnership. A draft report is available on: www.unctad.org

2005 IPA Performance Benchmarking Program: Investor Inquiry Handling Study

The ability to effectively handle investor inquiries is among the most important of the various activities investment promotion agencies (IPAs) perform that can make a difference to investors. The 2005 IPA Performance Benchmarking Program, a joint effort by GDP Global, a London-based consulting firm, and the Multilateral Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank Group, has been implemented to assess and compare the performance of IPAs around the world in this particular dimension, in light of current and widely accepted best practice. In addition, the program has the potential to become a source of innovation that can raise the level of best practice, and a roadmap for IPAs to continually improve their investor inquiry handling skills. In the second half of 2004, 188 IPAs were surveyed against predefined benchmarking criteria. Among the surveyed group, 102 of the agencies are in developing countries and 86 are in developed countries. The downloadable report presents the methodology of the program and a brief analysis of the main findings of this year's benchmarking. It also includes valuable lessons and best practice that can help IPAs improve the way they handle investor inquiries and consequently improve their effectiveness in promoting foreign investment.
For more information, please see: www.miga.org

Foreign Investment and Development: Who Gains?

Foreign investment in developing countries is on the increase, but is development being served? How do policy makers balance the interests of foreign investors and domestic enterprise? These are the core questions addressed in this Development Gateway Special Report on multinational corporations in development. This report examines the strategies to attract foreign investment and simultaneously to strengthen the domestic private sector, the accountability for protecting people and the environment, and how creating win-win business models for investments in markets comprised of the poor. This Special Report provides a multi-sectoral perspective on a current issue in development.

For further information, please see: http://topics.developmentgateway.org/special/foreigninvestment

Call for Papers: API – Coimbra University, Portugal: Foreign Direct Investment Prize

On the 11th of July 2003, the API – Coimbra University Foreign Direct Investment Prize was created under the auspices of a Cooperation Protocol signed between the API - Invest in Portugal Agency and the University of Coimbra. It is aimed at rewarding papers on the theme of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the scope of Engineering, Sciences, Law and Economics, amongst others. The Prize is sponsored by BARCLAYS Bank, with a pecuniary value of 15.000€. The first edition of the Prize will take place during the ongoing year, with papers to be submitted between the 30th of April and 30th of October 2005. The jury is composed by a representative from the University of Coimbra, a representative from API – Invest in Portugal Agency and a personality of recognized merit to be invited by the previous two entities.

For further information please consult the Prize Regulations at: www.investinportugal.pt