Session documents

Global foreign direct investment showed a strong rebound in 2021, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels. However, recovery is highly uneven. with significant variations across regions and sectors. Investments in Goals-relevant sectors remain particularly fragile. Renewable energy and utilities are the sustainability sectors with the strongest growth, yet there are only a few large-scale projects in a limited number of countries. The least developed countries, which were significantly affected during the pandemic, with double-digit declines in almost all sectors, still show less favourable trends in Goals-relevant sectors. This course will discuss the ongoing reforms in international taxation and their implications for investment and investment policies. The discussion will focus on the adoption of a global minimum tax for multinational enterprises and other mechanisms for countering harmful tax practices. The course will address key issues arising from the complexity of the international investment regime and present the wide range of UNCTAD tools available with which to support the formulation of more balanced international investment policies. The course will present the latest trends in and prospects for global foreign direct investment and theirimpact on sustainable development. It will address current issues in international investment policymaking, with an emphasis on international tax reforms and investment policies, sustainable finance and investment and barriers to and challenges in promoting investment in sectors vital to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The course will be based on key findings in World Investment Report 2022, insights from intergovernmental discussions on investment and development and elements of the UNCTAD investment policy framework for sustainable development. The course will focus on the following:

• Analysing recent trends in global cross-border investment
• Exploring relevant regional and sectoral trends, including in Goals-related and climatechange-related investment sectors
• Discussing the latest developments in investment policy, with a focus on reforms ininternational taxation and understanding their implications
• Understanding which reform actions are the most relevant in order to make internationalinvestment agreements more effective in promoting and facilitating investment
• Outlining best practices and tools for investment facilitation, to attract and retain foreign direct investment