Geneva, 9 May 2011 - UNCTAD will organize two special investment events on 11 May during the Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) in Dubai.
A High-level Session on Green Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will focus on the opportunities and challenges of environmentally friendly investment.
In addition, officials from four developing countries will present investment opportunities to selected investors at a programme on Investment Showcases. The two events are being staged by invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates.
At the High-level Session on Green FDI, ministers, executives of global companies and heads of investment promotion agencies will discuss strategies and policy options to tap into the development potential of environmentally sustainable investment. While green FDI has already reached significant levels thanks to stepped-up efforts by both the public and private sectors, challenges posed by the transition to a low-carbon economy call for considerable financial, technological and policy responses from host countries and the international community. The session will be moderated by a prominent journalist from BBC World News Middle East Business Report.
The Investment Showcases will feature presentations by Government ministers and heads of investment promotion agencies from Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco and Uzbekistan. Investment opportunities in these countries will be presented to selected international investors during four 45-minute sessions. The showcase format has proven to be successful for attracting investors to developing countries, and previous events have featured Cambodia, Jordan, the Lao People´s Democratic Republic, Namibia, Viet Nam and Zambia.
The three-day Annual Investment Meeting will be opened by UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Petko Draganov, and by Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates. The purpose of AIM is to foster international investment and trade cooperation. The annual meeting will include an exhibition of projects, company showcases, a leadership conference and ministerial round table discussions.
