Research Fellow speaks at UNESCAP sustainable FDI event
Published 28 September 2018
On September 25, 2018, Hinrich Foundation Research Fellow Stephen Olson spoke at the United Nations headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand about the importance of sustainable foreign direct investment (FDI) for the Asia-Pacific region.
The two-day event, titled the Eighth Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Network, was held by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL).
The purpose of the event was to discuss current developments and challenges in FDI policy making, promotion and facilitation in the region. It also sought to explore ways to improve the national legal frameworks and international investment agreements (IIAs) system to ensure it better supports the region in pursuit of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Olson spoke on a panel that focused specifically on how Asia-Pacific economies can better attract sustainable FDI in strategic industries. The panel examined the challenges and best practices for attracting FDI, and how sustainable FDI can ultimately help the region achieve its SDGs. Panelists included:
- Stephen Olson, Research Fellow, Hinrich Foundation
- Andreas Dressler, Location Decisions
- William Speller, Economist, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
- Simon Lacey, Vice-President, Global Government Affairs, Trade Facilitation and Market Access, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
In his remarks, Olson highlighted the key findings from the 2018 Hinrich Foundation Sustainable Trade Index and explained how the Index can be used as an important tool to help economies attract, facilitate and retain foreign investment for sustainable, long-term development in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Author
Lauren Kyger
Lauren Kyger is the Digital Content Manager for the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and a former Associate Editor for TradeVistas, an online trade magazine supported by the Hinrich Foundation.
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