INSME was represented at the 2023 World Investment Forum (WIF) in Abu Dhabi.
The 8th World Investment Forum came to a close on October 20th with a powerful call to public and private investors to play a pivotal role in reshaping the world economy, and seize the emerging opportunities offered by the energy transition, transformation of the agrifood and health sectors and the changing solutions for sustainable development.
The weeklong event saw the convergence of 8,000 participants, including government officials, international organizations, policymakers, 700 CEOs and investors, sovereign wealth funds, sustainable stock exchanges and key capital markets actors. Held against the backdrop of a fragmented global economy, the forum addressed the profound impact on trade and investment, with foreign direct investment experiencing a continued downturn as data from the first half of 2023 highlighted.
UNCTAD Deputy Secretary-General Pedro Manuel Moreno said the downturn “is of much concern as less investment means less economic growth and fewer means to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – the SDGs”. Fruitful discussions from the WIF are starting to get people to prioritize ESGs as it is the future of finance and investing. Globally, a collective effort is needed from both the public and private sector to invest in our future.
INSME Secretary General, Giovanni Zazzerini, participated in two panels in Abu Dhabi on “SME Internationalization” and “Invest in Tomorrow: Abu Dhabi’s Economic Transition” discussing respectively policies to support Foreign Direct Investment FDI from SMEs and how to foster startups and SMEs to strength the regional economy.