The World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) – the leading global organization representing IPAs – proudly announces its 30th anniversary this year. To mark this milestone, WAIPA also embarks upon an exciting new chapter, together with the Geneva Chamber of Commerce Industry and Services, with the aim of accelerating and solidifying the global drive towards sustainable investment. This new chapter is the launch of a Decade of Investment for Good, and it will embrace any and all actors that have the same vision.
At a time of tectonic shifts, when international politics and the global economy are more closely entwined than ever, the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) as a force for good could not be greater.
The Decade of Investment for Good will represent a unified public-private global effort to advance the sustainable development agenda. Through a coordinated, inclusive, and time-bound platform, this initiative aims to bring governments and businesses together under a shared mission – one that will solidify political will and mobilize investment around sustainability and long-term impact.
The Decade of Investment for Good will be announced at a press conference in Geneva on Thursday, July 10, when we will also extend our invitation for partnership to representatives from Geneva’s diplomatic and business circles, as well as from the City and Canton of Geneva. For more information, please contact [email protected] or 022 796 68 62.
The press conference will also serve as a platform to announce the World Investment Conference (WIC 2025) – the largest Foreign Direct Investment gathering in the world – as well as the Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF 2025), which will join forces from October 22-24 in Sharjah, UAE, making the venue an indispensable stop for world leaders who are determined to ensure that sustainable development agenda becomes a reality.
In a world where global poverty is on the rise, there could not be a better moment for the two organizations join forces for this ambitious, yet much needed endeavor, and channel their partnership into an accelerated path towards sustainable development.
As a bridge between government and private sector, Investment Promotion Agencies are indispensable to universal prosperity. They attract and channel FDI where it is most needed, facilitating the work of businesses across the world who are interested in opening up shop abroad, while at the same time fostering local development. WAIPA is the world’s largest global platform uniting the voices of Investment Promotion Agencies. Founded in 1995 at the Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland, by the visionary leaders of 59 countries attending a high-level meeting at the United Nations Trade and Development Conference, today it represents the common voices, needs and interests of 116 countries, and acts in close partnership with UNCTAD, WTO, UNIDO, ILO, WEF, OECD, ICC, WBG, UNWTO, ISDB, GIZ, OHRLLS, EBRD, IEDC and the EIF.
The Geneva Chamber of Commerce Industry and Services has been the voice of Geneva’s business community since 1865. With a membership of 2600 businesses, it is the spokesperson of the Geneva’s private sector, uniting them under one roof. These businesses represent 120,000 jobs, making the Chamber a key actor in the Geneva ecosystem.