Expert Meeting on Capacity Building in the area of FDI: data compilation and policy formulation in developing countries

Reliable data are essential for analysing the process of globalization in all its dimensions, including its impact on sustainable economic development, and, on this basis, for formulating development-oriented policies. Although recent years have seen progress in this respect, the scope and quality of FDI data in a number of developing countries, especially least developed countries, are still not adequate for the purposes of policy analysis and formulation.

The Expert Meeting will focus on the issues of FDI data compilation and analysis and its role in the formulation of FDI policies from a development perspective. It will explore issues relating to the nature of data and the problems arising from them, as well as data compilation methodologies and difficulties in their implementation.

The meeting will discuss ways and means to answer the specific needs of developing countries in data compilation and analysis so as to enable them to make informed policy decisions in the area of FDI. It will also raise the awareness of member States regarding internationally accepted standards relating to FDI data collection and reporting systems, including with respect to the activities of foreign affiliates in host countries.

The following themes will be discussed:

• The relationship between statistics, impact assessment and policy formulation in the area of FDI
  
  
• The types of data available and their advantages and deficiencies in view of policy makers´ needs, especially in developing countries
  
  
• "Dos and don´ts" that Governments should keep in mind when making FDI statistics an element of the decision-making process of national policies
  
  
• Leading problems faced by developing countries, especially least developed countries, in compiling statistics on FDI flows and stocks and on the activities of TNCs
  
  
• Data collection methods and their applicability in a developing-country context
  
  
• Ways and means to improve the availability and harmonization of FDI-related data (including through regional and international cooperation) and their usefulness to policy makers, particularly in developing countries
  
  
• Priority work areas, especially as regards human resources development and institutional frameworks in developing countries, particularly in least developed countries