December 22, 2008
Division on Investment and Enterprise
Work Programme: 2008 delivery and 2009 outlook
2008 marks a challenging and fruitful year for the Division on Investment and Enterprise.
The Division has successfully delivered more and better with less.
During the past year, the Division organized over 120 conferences, meetings and special
events; conducted 52 training sessions (totalling 250 days of training); published 77 books,
manuals, reviews, reports, issue papers and booklets; and issued over 32 press releases,
investment briefs and newsletters. The Division also continued to maintain 19 websites and 6
databases, as well as e-networks.
Overall, 130 countries benefited from Division activities in 2008. The Division continued to
ensure a balanced geographical coverage of its services, whilst paying particular attention to
LDCs. Throughout the year, 24 LDCs and 22 LLDCs benefited from our technical
assistance.
Highlights of programme delivery
UNCTAD XII: expansion of mandates
The Accra Accord reconfirmed UNCTAD's lead role in the area of investment and enterprise
development, and provided new mandates, including in the areas of best practices in
investment policy-making, enterprise policies on corporate social responsibility, and egovernment practices. To implement the new mandates effectively, the Division formulated
new work programmes.
World Investment Forum: a new-born brand product
At UNCTAD XII, the Division successfully organized the first World Investment Forum,
with the participation of heads of states and ministers, as well as corporate leaders and heads
of IPAs. The Forum consists of 15 events: the Global Leaders Debate, Ministerial
Roundtable, Empretec Africa Forum, Woman-in-Business Award, three interactive
investment stakeholder sessions, four business networking events, the Investment Advisory
Council meeting, and four capacity-building workshops on investment promotion. The
World Investment Forum marked the birth of a new flagship activity for UNCTAD.
Investment policy analysis: ahead of the curve
The 2008 World Investment Report focused on transnational corporations and the
infrastructure challenge, and was launched for the first time during the TDB. Delegations
emphasized that the choice of topic for the WIR 08 “was particularly timely, as high-quality
infrastructure was essential to development and to the achievement of the MDGs”. In
response to member states requests, the secretariat continued its research on the development
impact of FDI. It published World Investment Prospects. It also pursued its work on FDI in
tourism and published five country case studies analyzing its development impact and policy
implications. It published the WID Africa as well as two issues of the TNC Journal and
continued its work on South-South FDI. The Division also organized two regional seminars
in the process of preparation for WIR08.
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FDI statistics: the backbone of informed policy making
The Division continued to maintain its online FDI statistics, which contains profiles for 142
countries, fact sheets for 187, and FDI in brief datasheets for 78. It intensified technical
assistance to build institutional capacities for the collection and compilation of statistics on
FDI and TNCs, and to strengthen regional cooperation in harmonizing data through a series
of national and regional workshops. Overall seven countries and two regional groupings
have benefited from the training in FDI statistics. For COMESA, the Division is preparing a
common statistical methodology and survey.
IPRs and follow-up: an effective package of policy assistance
In 2008, four new Investment Policy Reviews (IPRs) were finalized: the Dominican
Republic, Mauritania, Nigeria and Viet Nam, and another four (Belarus, Burkina Faso,
Burundi and Sierra Leone) are being prepared. The total of completed IPRs now amounts to
24, 9 of which are LDCs. The Reports were considered at the level of head of states and
cabinet minsters. For example, the President of Nigeria and his cabinet ministers met with
the UNCTAD delegation headed by the Secretary-General to discuss the implementation of
the IPR recommendations.
Several countries availed themselves to the package of policy assistance enshrined in their
IPRs. This IPR follow-up covered activities including skills attraction (Rwanda), i-portals
(Ghana, Benin and Laos), the development of investment laws and BIT models (Ghana), the
codification of investment related laws (Morocco), national regulatory reforms (Colombia)
and investment promotion and facilitation activities (Ethiopia and Zambia). Work in this
area also includes the preparation of a Bluebook for Nigeria.
Intellectual Property Rights: successful partnership
The Division prepared a Reference Guide for Intellectual Property Rights and Access to
Medicines. It continued its full partnership with ICTSD in policy analysis and stakeholder
dialogues. It also established extensive collaboration with WIPO in implementing the
“Development Agenda”, and with WHO in implementing the “Plan of Action on Building
Capacity on Access to Medicines” at the request of the two organizations.
IIAs: focal point for the international investment system
The Division continued to provide backstopping to the international investment system.
Activities in 2008 covered research and policy analysis (with seven new studies for the IIA
series and the IIA Monitor), and information services (with expanded databases on
investment treaties and investor-State dispute settlement cases). In technical assistance, 11
regional and national intensive training courses, and 12 ad hoc advisory services and special
events were delivered. Overall, some 94 countries benefited from the 87 days of training
delivered by the IIA programme.
Best practices: a new policy tool
In response to the Declaration of the 2007 G8 Summit and the subsequent new mandate
received in Accra, a new work programme on best practices in investment policy-making
was launched. This involved international dialogue through our high-level participation (and
facilitation of LDC participation) in the OECD-UNCTAD Global Investment Forum and the
Ministerial Roundtable at UNCTAD XII. It also involves 20+ case studies of successful FDI
policies of high development relevance, such as "Attracting FDI to small economies,"
"Using FDI to build in peace in post conflict countries," "Using FDI to build infrastructure:
The case of roads," and "Using FDI to build infrastructure: The case of electricity". The
study series will form the basis of tailor-made technical assistance toolkit aimed at creating
conducive environments in developing countries to attract and benefit from FDI.
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Investment facilitation: attracting investment
The Division launched a new investment advisory series – toolkits for investment promotion
practitioners. Three issues were published (Investment Policy Advocates, Investors
Aftercare, and Evaluating Investment Promotion Agencies) and another three are in the
pipeline. A high-level Investment Forum on "Investing in landlocked developing countries"
was organized during the General Assembly’s high-level review of the Almaty Programme
of Action. Advisory services on investor targeting strategies, IPA client charters, policy
advocacy strategies and institutional support were provided to 8 countries. 14 national,
regional and interregional workshops were organized. Overall, the Division’s investment
facilitation work has helped over 300 investment promotion officials and policy makers from
65 countries.
ISAR: a new height marked by its 25th anniversary
The 25th IGE on ISAR was attended by a record 325 experts, including several ministers.
During the high-level segment, the role of international accounting and reporting standards
and codes in promoting financial stability was discussed against the background of the
financial crisis. The meeting reviewed practical implementation issues of the International
Financial Reporting Standards, including the Accounting and Financial Reporting
Guidelines for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEGA), capacity-building in
corporate accounting and reporting, and non-financial reporting in the areas of corporate
governance and corporate responsibility. It was complemented by two technical workshops
on public sector accounting standards and on environmental, social and governance
disclosure.
Enterprise development: two new initiatives
Two new initiatives were successfully launched in 2008. The Women in Business Awards
raised the profile of women entrepreneurs' contribution to economic development. The
Empretec Africa Forum was recognized for its practical and concrete contribution to SMEs
development. The annual Empretec Directors' Meeting held in Sao Paulo in November was
attended by Empretec directors from 22 countries. They discussed Empretec activities, plans
for expansion of training, and considered new strategic directions for the programme.
CSR: responsible investment
A study was completed shedding light on voluntary enterprise policies on environmental,
social and governance issues among 40 large enterprises in 10 large emerging markets. In
addition, a workshop was organised on the Policy Context for Responsible Investment. The
Division continued to provide substantive support to the ISO Working Group on Social
Responsibility, the ICC Committee on CSR, and the OECD Roundtable on CSR, as well as a
number of civil society and academic institutions.
E-regulations: facilitating business
The e-regulations system now operates in nine countries. It presents the administrative
procedures related to enterprise creation and operations, indicating requirements, costs and
duration, and providing online access to forms, civil servants contact data and complaint
channels.
E-tourism and insurance: new synergy
The Division also integrated the e-tourism work (redeployed from DTL) into its enterprise
work in response to the Secretary-General’s decision, and completed a new training package
on e-business solutions in tourism of developing countries. Efforts were also made to
enhance the capacity of the insurance programme of the Division.
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Managerial orientation
Building on the Secretary-General’s vision of “One-UNCTAD”, the Division has
implemented his “3C Principles” (Coordination, Communication, and Concentration) in its
programme delivery.
An integrated management mechanism was put in place in 2008 to better coordinate the
Division's work. A "DIAE Common Staff Work Plan" was created and shared with all its
staff members. This common work plan – that is being updated regularly – reflects the
assignments and focal points, provides indication of the schedule and status of delivery of
the outputs, as well as sources of funding. A new "Performance Appraisal System" was also
established to facilitate in-depth assessment of the relevance, quality, efficiency,
effectiveness and impact of Division's outputs. This tool was well received by member
States.
The Division also continued its efforts to develop and strengthen its cooperation and
coordination within UNCTAD and with other organizations. The Division actively
contributed to the Secretary-General’s vision of “One-UNCTAD”, through intensified
cooperation with other Divisions and Programmes (such as with the LDC Division and the
UN-OHRLLC in the preparation of the High-level Investment Forum for LLDCs, and with
the Commodities Programme in the preparation of the 12th African Oil, Gas and Minerals
Trade and Investment Conference), active participation in the Secretary-General’s task
forces on key emerging issues and contribution to central functions. The Division also made
every effort to collaborate with the Technical Cooperation Service to submit proposals in the
context of the "One UN programme" as well as in the new UNDAFs (covering over 20
countries). Co-operation also continued with other partners, including with ICC, ICTSD,
ITC, OECD, UN Global Compact, WAIPA, WIPO, World Bank Group and WHO.
Throughout the year, the Division continued to improve its communication, dissemination
and marketing methods for its publications and project outputs, with the support of the
Office of the Secretary-General and Communication, Information and Outreach Services.
The dissemination of WIR and other research outputs through national and regional policy
seminars (sometimes in collaboration with academia and regional organizations) was
particularly effective. In addition, several brochures were prepared to better inform policy
makers about its activities. Furthermore, a number of publications (such as the WID) are
now published on CD-ROMs to allow for regular update. The Division’s electronic network
of experts and various investment databases were further expanded, and new features were
added. It is worth mentioning that the timely email routing of scanned copies of
communications via OSG has increased significantly the efficiency at the Divisional level in
responding to the external requests and in information sharing among branch and section
chiefs, and the staff concerned.
The Division made an effort to concentrate its work programme delivery around its flagship
projects/products and improve their delivery through better integration and crossfertilization. At the same time, the Division improved its flagship delivery through several
new products. The Division consolidated its publications by grouping them into thematicoriented and reader-targeted study series (such as the Investment Advisory Series), thereby
reducing the total number of publications. The Division also consolidated its various
technical assistance projects in line with the thematic clusters of UNCTAD (from over 70
projects into four clusters, each consisting of a few multi-year and multi-donor projects).
The better integration between products and projects resulted in a substantial increase in the
number of countries that benefited from the full range of the Division's advisory services.
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Challenges ahead
2009 will be another challenging year for the Division. We will continue to work towards the
Secretary-General’s vision of working within a “One-UN” and a “One-UNCTAD”, whilst
implementing his “3C Principles” in our programme delivery.
In the first half of 2009, we will commence the preparations for the second World
Investment Forum and prepare for the High-Level meeting on public investment in Brazil in
April 2009 (President Lula’s initiative). We will also prepare the first session of the newly
established Commission on Investment, Enterprise and Development, which will be
synergized with the annual WAIPA conference. The Division will implement two multi-year
expert meetings (on "enterprise development policies", and on "investment for
development”), and provide substantive inputs to a third multi-year expert-meeting (on
“South-South cooperation”).
The Division will also organize the intergovernmental review of four IPRs. The SecretaryGeneral has already invited the Prime Minister of Viet Nam and the President of Nigeria for
these events. (Four other IPRs are in the pipeline, and another 23 countries have requested an
IPR.)
Preparations for the 2009 WIR are already underway, and two regional seminars are planned
for the coming months. The Division will monitor closely the developments of the global
financial crisis and update its assessment of the impact on investment.
In the area of enterprise development, the Division is planning to organize an ad hoc
stakeholders' meeting to discuss prudential regulatory frameworks, the establishment of
competitive insurance markets and human resources development. As requested by ISAR,
the Division will also organize a meeting to discuss the implications of the credit crisis for
corporate financial reporting. The Division will organize a session of the Empretec Africa
Forum in the first half of 2009.
As member States struggle to cope with the impact of the global financial and economic
crisis, calls for our assistance in developing adequate policy responses in the areas of
investment and enterprise are expected to increase. In the meantime, the Division will
continue to be faced with resource constraints.
More than ever, we will be expected to do more and better with less.
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