The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will release its annual report on global foreign direct investment (FDI) on Monday (June 21).
UNCTAD’s World Investment Report (WIR) 2021, one of the flagship reports of the UN agency, will be the 31st version of the annual publication.
The report will present the latest trend of FDI globally and regionally and it will also forecast the near future trend.
Earlier, in the Global Investment Trend Monitor, released in January this year, UNCTAD said that global FDI dropped by 42 per cent to an estimated $859 billion, from $1.5 trillion in 2019.
It was the preliminary estimation and WIR 2021 will present the update data with detailed analysis.
One thing is, however, clear that global FDI declined sharply in 2020 due to the pandemic and was even unlikely to stand near the previous year’s figure.
The theme of the current year’s report is ‘Investing in Sustainable Recovery.’
THEMES IN PREVIOUS YEAR: The theme of the last year’s report was ‘International Production Beyond the Pandemic.’
WIR 2019 focused on ‘Special Economic Zones’ while in 2018 it analysed ‘Investment and New Industrial Policies.’ The report for 2017 highlighted ‘Investment and the Digital Economy’ while it was Investor Nationality: Policy Challenges’ in 2016.
Again WIR 2015 focused on ‘Reforming International Investment Governance’ while WIR 2014 on ‘Investing in the SDGs: An Action Plan’
‘Global Value Chains: Investment and Trade for Development’ was the theme of WIR 2013 and WIR 2012 discussed ‘Towards a New Generation of Investment Policies.’
The theme of WIR 2011 and WIR 2010 were ‘Non-Equity Modes of International Production and Development’ and ‘Investing in a Low-carbon Economy’ respectively.
‘Transnational Corporations, Agricultural Production and Development’ was highlighted in WIR 2009 while in WIR 2008 it was ‘Transnational Corporations and the Infrastructure Challenge.’ Further, WIR 2007 selected ‘Transnational Corporations, Extractive Industries and Development’ as the theme which was ‘FDI from Developing and Transition Economies: Implications for Development’ in WIR 2006.
In WIR 2005, the theme was `Transnational Corporations and the Internationalization of R&D’, in WIR 2004 it was `The Shift Towards Services’ and in WIR 2003 it was ‘FDI Policies for Development: National and International Perspectives.’
WIR 2002 focused on `Transnational Corporations and Export Competitiveness’, WIR 2001 on ‘Promoting Linkages’ and WIR 2000 on ‘Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions and Development’
WIR 1999 discussed ‘Foreign Direct Investment and the Challenge of Development’ while WIR 1998 focused on `Trends and Determinants’.
WIR 1997 analysed ‘Transnational Corporations, Market Structure and Competition Policy’ and WIR 1996 discussed on ‘Investment, Trade and International Policy Arrangements.’
The theme in WIR 1995 was ‘Transnational Corporations and Competitiveness’ which was ‘Transnational Corporations, Employment and the Workplace’ in WIR 1994.
WIR 1993 discussed ‘Transnational Corporations and Integrated International Production’ and WIR 1992 on ‘Transnational Corporations as Engines of Growth’
WIR 1991, the debut version of the annual flagship of the UNCTAD, highlighted ‘The Triad in Foreign Direct Investment.’