Facilitating sustainable FDI for sustainable development in a WTO Investment Facilitation Framework: four concrete proposals

Abstract

Foreign direct investment (‘FDI’) can be an important vehicle for development. However, in recent years, the focus has not just been on development generally, but sustainable development specifically. Thus, this article focuses on how countries can increase levels of FDI geared toward projects likely to contribute as much as possible to countries’ sustainable development—in other words, how countries can increase flows of sustainable FDI. To that end, and in light of the World Trade Organization’s ongoing Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for Development, this article first discusses the notion of ‘sustainable FDI’ and then outlines four issues and related concrete proposals whose implementation through an investment facilitation framework for development would help to ensure that commercially viable FDI makes a besteffort contribution to sustainable development: (1) How can governments encourage sustainable FDI? (2) How can governments promote corporate social responsibility (‘CSR’)? (3) How can one create the special category of ‘Recognized Sustainable Investor’ to incentivize international investors to implement their CSR commitments and engage in sustainable FDI? (4) What role can home countries play in facilitating outward FDI flows, especially the flow of sustainable FDI? Looking at the question of a multilateral framework from the perspective of its objective— namely ‘for development’—is particularly important as this objective should guide the negotiations of such a framework. sustainable FDI, sustainable development, WTO investment facilitation discussions, corporate social responsibility, home country policies, recognized sustainable investor