The organization's Deputy Secretary General told an audience of 2,000, many of them potential investors, of the importance of investment for sustainable economic growth in the wake of the Tunisian Revoluntion.
Deputy Secretary General Petko Draganov spoke at the opening of the 13-14 June Forum held in Tunis.
"Ensuring inclusive growth and development in Tunisia and the wider region deserves broad support from the international community, particularly in light of the profound political transformations that this region has witnessed in the wake of the Tunisian Revolution," he told the meeting.
"Last year, investments worth $1.9 billion were made in Tunisia. This is a good recovery from the trough reached in 2011. However, investment flows still remain well below their pre-crisis levels, and investors' confidence in the region needs to be re-established.
"As we look to restore growth and create a better future for all, investment is a key tool to address the multitude of challenges we face," Mr. Draganov said.
He told the Forum, "UNCTAD remains singularly committed to working with the new Tunisia and the Arab Spring countries to navigate through these challenging times.
"We are now actively assisting Tunisia to facilitate the entry of more - and beneficial - foreign direct investment. Our efforts will focus on investment promotion and fostering sound business practices. The proposed measures will be concrete and readily implementable. We are confident that our joint efforts will bear fruit.
"As we work towards regaining economic strength, it is important to ensure that growth is inclusive and widely shared among all sections of the population," Mr. Draganov said. "This is fundamentally a matter of fairness, but it is also a pragmatic step towards creating economic freedom."
UNCTAD has developed an Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development to help governments achieve this goal, the Deputy Secretary General said.
He described the framework as "a tool to help countries formulate investment policies at both the national and the international levels. Officially launched in Tunis last year, it will allow countries to craft policies to achieve more sustainable and inclusive development benefits from foreign direct investment. With the help of this framework, I am confident that UNCTAD can make a contribution to the goal of this year's Tunisia Investment Forum, namely the design of a 'new sustainable development strategy for investment."
