This 4th Virtual Capacity Building Workshop: Investment Facilitation for Development: Looking Back and Looking Forward is organised in the framework of the Investment Facilitation for Development project, jointly implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE).

This virtual workshop will take place on 11 December 2020, from 15:00 to 16:30 Geneva time (Central European Time), 09:00 to 10:30 Eastern Standard Time, and 21:00 to 22:30 China Standard Time.

The workshop is meant to make an input into the WTO negotiations of an investment facilitation framework for development (IFF4D). It will provide an analysis of the state of play in the negotiations as regards to what has been achieved so far, while reflecting on key issues that should be considered in further working on an IFF4D, to achieve a broadly acceptable outcome by member states. It seeks to facilitate joint learning and capacity building among delegates, government officials, as well as technical experts.  

The workshop is open to all WTO delegates and government representatives from capitals, as well as representatives from investment promotion agencies, the private sector and civil society.

We are aiming to make the workshop as participatory as possible. You will have the option of sending written questions/observations to the panelists during the meeting, by clicking on the “chat” button of the Zoom window and typing your question/comment.

Programme

Opening

• Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director, International Trade Centre
• Yi Xiaozhun, Deputy Director-General, World Trade Organization

Keynote

• Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

What has been achieved, obstacles and the way forward

Chair

• Karl P. Sauvant, Resident Senior Fellow, Columbia University/Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment

Speakers

• Mathias Francke, Ambassador-designate of Chile to the WTO, Coordinator of the Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for Development, “An assessment”
• Zhang Xiangchen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of China to the WTO and coordinator of the Friends of Investment Facilitation Group
• Usha Chandnee Dwarka-Canabady, Ambassador and Permanent  Representative of Mauritius to the WTO
• Luiz Cesar Gasser, Ambassador and Director at the Department of Services and Industry Promotion at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Hiddo Houben, Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to the WTO
• Grata Endah Werdaningtyas, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the UN, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva     

Discussion starters

• Makane Moïse Mbengue, Professor and Director of the Department of Public International Law and International Organization at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva
• Michelle Ratton Sanchez Badin, Professor, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Brazil
• Matthew Stephenson, Policy and Community Lead, International Trade and Investment, World Economic Forum

Concluding remarks

• Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)