IIAs: International Investment Agreements

The Handbook on FDI Policy, Promotion and Facilitation for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific seeks to take stock of the findings on and experiences with inward FDI and to summarize them in a convenient package that helps policymakers formulate better FDI policies and investment promotion agencies (IPAs) to better promote and facilitate FDI for sustainable development. Better FDI policies means policies that help attract higher inflows of FDI of higher quality and higher development impact across the three dimensions of sustainable development: economic, s

The conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a milestone for regional economic integration in the Asian-Pacific Region. It is of interest to study whether and how the RCEP, especially its investment chapter and investment facilitation provisions could help its members realize the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Asia and the Pacific has now become the largest source of foreign direct investment globally. This is due to the growing number of firms from Asia and the Pacific that have become active outward investors. The upsurge in outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from Asia and the Pacific raises several unanswered questions, including how can OFDI stimulate positive developmental outcomes in home countries?

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is a principal means of financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the corresponding 17 Sustainable Development Goals. FDI’s potential contributions to sustainable development in Asia-Pacific can only be realized if the right conditions and policies are in place and if both the quantity and quality of FDI to, from, and within the region increase. This requires not only identifying and prioritizing FDI projects in key sustainable development sectors - such as renewable energy, education, health, water and sanitation, etc.

The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) is a recurrent publication prepared by the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. It provides information and independent analyses of regional trends and policy developments in trade, goods and commercial services, as well as foreign direct investment. It also provides insights into the impacts of these recent and emerging developments on countries’ abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development.

The Asia Pacific region is a major player in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), accounting for 31% of global FDI inflows in 2016. Increasingly International Investment Agreements (IIAs) are being put in place to manage and control these investment flows. According to UNCTAD, as of May 2016, more than 2,700 IIAs have entered into force, with more than half, or 1,160, having been signed by one or more parties from the Asia-Pacific region.

The Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report (APTIR) is a recurrent publication prepared by the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. It provides information on and independent analyses of regional trends and policy developments in trade in goods and commercial services, as well as foreign direct investment. It also provides insights into the impacts of these recent and emerging developments on countries’ abilities to meet the challenges of achieving sustainable development.