Introduction

All countries seek to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) to advance their economic growth and development. This is so not only because FDI involves much sought-after capital (and the finance gap to reach the Sustainable Development Goals is substantial), but also because FDI can bring a package of tangible and intangible assets, such as technology, skills and access to markets, that are central to development. In this context, 70 WTO members endorsed a "Joint Ministerial Statement on Investment Facilitation for Development" during their Buenos Aires Ministerial ...