BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:unctad.org
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6aa842f7bd17c
DTSTART:20250228T140000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20250228T150000Z
LOCATION:Online\, 
SUMMARY:Webinar on assisting African countries in the implementation of inv
 estment facilitation commitments
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:This webinar is being held within the framework of the Intern
 ational Trade Center (ITC) project on Investment Facilitation for Develo
 pment\, in cooperation with members of the African Group at the World Trad
 e Organization\, UN Trade and Development and World Economic Forum. Parti
 cipationThe webinar is open to the public and is intended for:Policymakers
  responsible for the AfCFTA Protocol on Investment.Policymakers responsibl
 e for the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement.Represen
 tatives of African investment promotion agencies.Government officials.  I
 t should also be of interest to policy makers elsewhere in the world. Reg
 istrationParticipation in the webinar is free of charge but online registr
 ation is mandatory.BackgroundIn the past decade\, investment facilitation 
 has emerged as a crucial approach for attracting foreign direct investment
  (FDI)\, as it plays an important role in driving economic growth\, techno
 logical advancement\, job creation\, and achieving the Sustainable Develop
 ment Goals\, particularly in developing and least developed countries. Thi
 s has led to significant developments at both regional and global levels:A
 t the regional level\, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Pr
 otocol on Investment was adopted on 19 February 2023. This Investment Prot
 ocol includes a comprehensive chapter on investment promotion and facilita
 tion\, aiming to create a more attractive investment climate across AfCFTA
  State Parties.At the global level\, negotiations of the Investment Facili
 tation for Development (IFD) Agreement were finalized on 25 February 2024 
 at the eve of the 13th WTO Ministerial Meeting. This Agreement\, in which
  over 126 WTO Members participated (of which 90 are developing countries\,
  including 31 African countries[1])\, seeks to help countries improve thei
 r investment climate and facilitate FDI flows\, particularly to developing
  and least developed countries\, with the overarching goal of fostering su
 stainable development.Both agreements provide\, for example\, for the stre
 amlining of investment administrative procedures\, the establishment of fo
 cal points for investors\, the strengthening of linkages between investors
  and domestic suppliers and the promotion of responsible business conduct 
 and sustainable development.Technical assistance support channeled through
  international agreements should be of special interest to countries in Af
 rica and elsewhere\, to help them implement their international commitment
 s on investment facilitation.Needs assessments on investment facilitation 
 measures have already begun\, supported by donor countries and aimed at id
 entifying the technical assistance required to improve the investment clim
 ate in host countries\, with a view towards helping countries attract more
  FDI to advance sustainable development. These assessments are of immediat
 e relevance for African countries.The key objective of the webinar is to d
 iscuss how to maximize the contribution of investment facilitation provisi
 ons in international agreements to the benefit of African countries.Specif
 ically\, the webinar will inform about\, and discuss\, the key provisions 
 and coverage of the two agreements. Special attention will be given to pro
 visions that are meant to improve the investment climate\, an objective sh
 ared by both agreements. The webinar will also highlight how technical ass
 istance and capacity building support can be leveraged to assist African (
 and other) countries in improving their investment environments.The webina
 r will be conducted in English and French\, in an interactive manner\, and
  allow for questions by participants.[1] Currently\, the following members
  of the African Union are participating: Angola\, Benin\, Burkina Faso\, B
 urundi\, Cameroon\, Cabo Verde\, Central African Republic\, Chad\, Congo\,
  Democratic Republic of the Congo\, Côte d&#039\;Ivoire\, Djibouti\, Gabo
 n\, The Gambia\, Guinea\, Guinea-Bissau\, Liberia\, Malawi\, Mali\, Maurit
 ania\, Mauritius\, Morocco\, Mozambique\, Niger\, Nigeria\, Seychelles\, S
 ierra Leone\, Togo\, Uganda\, Zambia\, and Zimbabwe.https://intracen.zoom.
 us/webinar/register/WN_1ADt0fc1TqqrWPAJNvX-bA#/registration&quot\; target=
 &quot\;_blank\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meeting/we
 binar-assisting-african-countries-implementation-investment-facilitation-c
 ommitments
DTSTAMP:20260914T185447Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR