SADC-IISD Investment Facilitation Workshop
Report of the meeting held August 21–23, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Report of the meeting held August 21–23, 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa
The Secretariat of the Southern African Development Community (SADC Secretariat), in collaboration with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), hosted the SADC Workshop on Facilitating Investment for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 21 to 23, 2018. Nearly 40 participants attended the workshop, including more than 30 government officials representing 13 SADC member states.
The workshop was the first meeting on the issue of investment facilitation held at the SADC regional level and, to the best knowledge of all of the participants and experts, the first meeting of developing country government representatives to actually focus on discussing the detailed issues relating to the concept and implementation of facilitating investment for sustainable development.
At the meeting, the participants undertook a detailed analysis of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Global Action Menu for Investment Facilitation.
The participants concluded that facilitating investment for sustainable development requires measures that enhance and work with, and thus primarily within, the national institutional and regulatory frameworks that are needed to achieve the public policy objectives associated with foreign direct investment.
More specifically, they rejected the need for international or regional regulatory measures in relation to facilitating investment for sustainable development. Instead, they looked for opportunities for capacity building, information sharing and cooperative processes that can enhance policies, practices and legal provisions at the national level.
You might also be interested in
CSDDD: EU's Due Diligence Law Vote Should Drive Supply Chain Sustainability Efforts
The European Parliament has voted to adopt the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, aiming to address the environmental and social impacts of the supply chains of Europe's large corporations.
IISD: EU’s Historic Energy Charter Treaty Vote Will Boost Energy Transition
The European Parliament has voted for the European Union to withdraw from the climate-threatening Energy Charter Treaty.
Ecuador Referendum Rules Out ISDS Return, Underlining Public Support for a Sustainable Path
Ecuador has voted to allow international arbitration and investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) in its treaties and agreements. But the risks that initially made them turn away from this outdated model remain.
The Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement: A reader's guide
A subset of World Trade Organization members has finalized the legal text of an Agreement on Investment Facilitation. This Reader's Guide provides an overview of what's in the agreement.