联合国贸发会秘书长素帕猜在第二届世界投资论坛开幕词上的致辞

Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the World Investment Forum 2010<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

by Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of UNCTAD

Xiamen, 7 September, 2010

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The biennial UNCTAD World Investment Forum is the most important event for the international investment community and its stakeholders. It provides a unique platform for interaction among global leaders, senior policy makers, corporate executives, investors, investment promotion agencies, and investment experts and practitioners from many countries around the world.

The presence of more than 400 investment leaders from 116 countries from all parts of the investment community demonstrates the importance that international investment has gained as an engine of growth and development. Over the next three days, we will examine the challenges and opportunities for global investment in a post-crisis economy, which will be addressed by the following events:

1. The World Leaders Investment Summit will discuss the new international investment landscape in the post-crisis era. It will identify policy options for maximising the developmental benefits of foreign investment and how to take advantage of a new emerging economic and policy landscape.

2. The Ministerial Round Table will address investment policy coherence in the post-crisis environment, including balancing investment liberalisation and regulation, and enhancing coherence between national and international investment policies.

3. The High-level Tripartite Conference will identify the most prominent issues related to FDI and the impact of investment on sustainable development. Key topics include: world investment prospects, re-strategising investment promotion and promoting green investment.

4. The 2010 International Investment Agreements Conference will reflect on the key development challenges facing the IIA regime and how it can leverage tangible development benefits in a post-crisis economy.

5. The Sustainable Stock Exchanges Conference 2010 will examine how stock exchanges can promote sustainable business practices and responsible capital markets, which will ensure stable growth and positive development outcomes.

6. The Special Conference on Promoting Responsible Sovereign Lending and Borrowing will provide an opportunity to discuss the need for a recognised set of principles for borrowers and lenders that promotes sustainable debt and credit conditions.

7.The 8th Meeting of UNCTAD and the International Chamber of Commerce(ICC)Investment Advisory Council will discuss how investment can used to tackle the foreseeable shortfall in achieving the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs).

8.Finally, the ‘Investment Showcase’ events will include presentations from individual countries on climate change-related investment.

Other events include the launching of the G15 of Law Schools network dedicated to academic exchange on international investment law, and the UNCTAD Investment Promotion Award 2010, as well as various networking banquets, luncheons and dinners.

All of these events will contribute towards the Forum’s main overall objective: to better understand the challenges and opportunities that the post-crisis investment landscape presents to all of us, and in particular to developing countries. In this new phase of globalisation–perhaps even a phase where we will see a retrenchment of globalisation–a new generation of investment policies will be needed. Such policies must encourage the transformation towards a low carbon economy, and the need for investment to work for development and the achievement of the MDGs. UNCT D’s World Investment Report 2010 provides information and analysis on some of these topics, as well as data on current trends in FDI.As such, the Report is offered as the main reference document to the World Investment Forum.

Lastly, I would like to express my personal gratitude on behalf of UNCTAD to everyone who is attending the Forum, including the numerous organizations and associations that have partnered with us in the organisation of this year’s events. Your presence and contributions to the Forum’s discussions will help make this event a success and advance UNCT D’s mission to assist developing countries make investment work for development.

For their practical support and hospitality, I wish to express UNCT D’s appreciation for the marvellous co-operation extended to us by the Ministry of Commerce, Fujian Province and the City of Xiamen. I also wish to acknowledge the partnership with the 14th China International Fair for Investment and Trade(CIFIT),which will be opened tomorrow morning.

So without further deliberation, I would like now to declare the World Investment Forum 2010 officially open.