Export Helpdesk for Developing Countries – users invited to participate in study

The Commission of the European Union has commissioned an evaluation of its free online-service Export Helpdesk for Developing Countries.

Since 2004, the web-portal offers exporters from developing countries comprehensive information on how to access the EU market, including standards and regulations, taxes and preferential trade agreements, as well as statistics and further sources of information.

To further improve the service, the EU Commission invites users of the Export Helpdesk to take an online survey now available on the Helpdesk website.

The survey assesses user-satisfaction and experience with the Helpdesk and takes about 7-12 minutes to answer. All indications will be handled strictly confidentially.

The online survey will be carried out till 21 May, 2007 and can be accessed on the Export Helpdesk for Developing Countries at: http://exporthelp.europa.eu

Your participation will be highly appreciated!

Conference on Strategies for the Improvement of Image and Positioning of Countries, Regions, Cities and Organizations, 19-20 April 2007, Madrid , Spain

The conference on Strategies for the Improvement of Image and Positioning of Countries, Regions, Cities and Organizations, hosted by PromoMadrid, will be held on 19-20 April 2007, in Madrid , Spain .

Image plays a very significant role in today’s globalized and competitive environment; an environment in which companies and institutions develop their activities and in which countries, regions and cities see themselves obliged to compete with one other to meet the demands of various stakeholders or other interested parties (investors, citizens, clients). PromoMadrid and Dircom, aware of the importance that developing an appropriate communication strategy has on improving the image and positioning of companies, institutions and locations in the international arena, will jointly co-organize this first conference with the cooperation of WAIPA.

The main objective of the conference is to create a forum in which national and international experts can discuss and convey their opinion on matters such as positioning strategy, public diplomacy, brand and image management, public-private partnership agreements and the benefits that these can bring to companies, institutions and locations as well as the role of national and international media in the creation and promotion of a brand image.

The participation in this event will be free of charge for WAIPA members.

For further information and subscription, please contact Mr. Rodrigo de la Mota, at: Rodrigo.delamota@promomadrid.com, Tel.: +34 917 450 127.

ANIMA 5th annual conference, 30 May 2007 , Marseille , France

The fifth annual conference of ANIMA will take place on 30 May 2007 , in Marseille , France . Representatives of MEDA and European Investment Promotion Agencies, international investors, institutional organisations and media representatives will attend the event.

This event will present the achievements of the first phase of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on investment and will look at future trends of FDI in the Mediterranean region within the context of the new European Union's investment cooperation framework for 2008-2013.

Programme and registration: elsa.vachez@afii.fr - T: 33 (0) 4 96 11 67 60.

European Union Targets Tourism Investments and Development in Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean

PRO€INVEST – PROFIT 2007 PROJECT LAUNCHED: A Regional Tourism Conference and Business Meeting, 27-29 June 2007, Kampala , Uganda

In recognition of the importance of the tourism sector in creating employment and alleviating poverty in Africa, the European Commission, through one of its private sector development instruments, namely Pro€Invest, will be organizing a Regional Tourism Investment Conference/Business meeting in Kampala, on 27-29 June 2007.

Pro€Invest, a European Union – ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) Partnership Programme for the promotion of investment and technology flows to ACP enterprises, has entrusted a consortium of consulting firms to carry out a new project named Profit 2007 (Regional Investment Conferences in Tourism sector) which focuses its efforts on East Africa & Indian Ocean (EAIO) and seven specific sub-sectors: Hotel, resort and restaurant (development, extension and renovation); Leisure, health, sports, entertainment (attractions, activities and facilities); Education, training, management in tourism and related activities; Services and supplies for the tourism sector; Tourism facilities and utilities (installation and maintenance); Infrastructure, construction, transport (development, extension, renovation, in relation to tourism); Information and communication technology.

The Profit 2007 project’s main objective is to support the viable EAIO entrepreneurs in implementing viable investment inter-enterprise cooperation agreements with Firms from the EU, EAIO / CWA (and third countries) and business performance improvement plans.

For further information, please contact: Mr. Renaud Guillonnet, Pro€Invest Coordinator, at: rgu@proinvest-eu.org or see http://www.profit-proinvest-eu.org

• WAIPA’s popular study tour programme aims at enabling young professional staff of WAIPA member agencies to visit and learn from experienced IPAs worldwide. The study tours are scheduled for a period of up to two weeks and cover the whole range of IPA activities through hands-on experience and on-the-job training.
• Study tours are geared towards young professionals from WAIPA member agencies; the programme is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in investment promotion and investor targeting from successful IPAs. The training is free of charge for WAIPA members, the travel and accommodation costs for agencies from Small Pacific Islands and LDCs from Asia are borne by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
• Applicants must hold a university degree in Business, Economics, Law or a related field, and have a minimum of two years of work experience in investment promotion. Candidates must be fluent in English. After completing the study tour, the trainees are requested to submit a written evaluation report to the WAIPA Secretariat. Upon successful conclusion of their training, the participants receive a certificate of completion.

In 2007, investment promotion professionals from IPAs will be trained by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in the period from 11 to 20 September 2007 .

For more information, please contact Mrs. Beatrice Abel, at: isa-beatrice.abel@waipa.org or at the following telephone number: +41 22 797 26 63, or see: www.waipa.org

Due to the high demand for placements, the WAIPA Secretariat encourages other member agencies to join this important initiative.

PUBLICATION

UNCTAD Investment Brief No. 2, 2007: Rising FDI into China : The facts behind the numbers

Over the past decade, China has established itself as the top recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) among developing countries. In 2005, inflows reached the new record high of $72 billion corresponding to a 20% rise from 2004. In this Investment Brief, we take a closer look at the Chinese data. There are several factors explaining the FDI increase but there are also reasons to interpret the overall numbers with care.

The full Investment Brief is available on www.waipa.org