Investment facilitation for sustainable development; harnessing blockchain technologies for sustainable development

The Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission

1. Expresses satisfaction with the presentation by the UNCTAD secretariat of the most recent trends and policies in international investment; acknowledges the contribution of global investment monitors and the World Investment Report to policy formulation and capacity-building in investment for sustainable development; and calls on the UNCTAD secretariat to continue to disseminate analytical findings in key international forums such as the World Investment Forum, as well as to continuously update the trend monitors under the responsibility of the Division on Investment and Enterprise;
2. Notes with concern the weak growth of international investment flows and the growing investment gap in sectors that are key for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially regarding the decrease of international investment flows to many developing countries;
3. Urges for a scale-up in both public and private investments to address developing countries’ needs to meet the widened investment gap across all Sustainable Development Goals sectors, in light of the estimated Goals-related investment gap of between $2.5 trillion and $4.0 trillion annually for developing countries;
4. Acknowledges the constructive considerations of the background document prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat on how digital business and investment facilitation and broader digital government implementation can help overcome certain obstacles to the attraction of sustainable investment in developing countries;
5. Requests UNCTAD to continue to research and elaborate policy recommendations in support of business facilitation, as well as to continue to support the exchange of national experiences and the dissemination of best practices and efforts in the promotion and facilitation of sustainable investment finance and improving the enabling investment environment, including through technical cooperation for developing countries;
6. Invites the UNCTAD secretariat to explore ways to mobilize additional extrabudgetary resources to further its work in developing digital single windows for requesting member States;
7. Recognizes the importance of transparent and robust information and statistics by all stakeholders, to inform investors’ decisions;
8. Commends the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting on its fortieth session; underscores the important role played by sustainability reporting in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals; and acknowledges the work of UNCTAD in supporting its members in promoting reliable and comparable disclosures on financial and sustainability performance, including through the establishment of regional partnerships;
9. Reaffirms the key role of research and development, science, technology and innovation and skills development, as well as related international cooperation, as drivers of structural transformation that contribute to a competitive, sustainable, inclusive and resilient economy and for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals and overcoming existing technology gaps;
10. Expresses satisfaction with the presentations by the UNCTAD secretariat of the most recent global trends and policies in the area of technology for development in accordance with the three pillars of work of research and analysis, technical cooperation and consensus-building; and calls on the UNCTAD secretariat to continue to report on its work in these areas;
11. Requests UNCTAD to continue to diligently monitor and analyse the most recent developments in global investment trends and provide comprehensive reports to member States;
12. Invites UNCTAD, in collaboration with other relevant organizations, to continue its work on emerging and frontier technologies, including the organization of information and experience-sharing sessions;
13. Acknowledges the constructive considerations made in the background document prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat on how countries at different levels of development could harness blockchain technologies for sustainable development, as well as the role of international collaboration in supporting national efforts to capture the benefits of blockchain technologies;
14. Invites UNCTAD to continue its important role in supporting developing countries to leverage science, technology and innovation for sustainable development.