Doha is hosting the ninth edition of the World Investment Forum, which is being held in partnership between the State of Qatar and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), during the period from 25 to 27 October, under the slogan “Investing in the Future.”
The forum will kick off with high-level participation that includes ministers and senior government officials, as well as CEOs, business leaders, investors, sovereign wealth fund officials, representatives of international organizations, investment bodies, financial and development institutions, and entrepreneurs from various countries of the world.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry participates, as an official partner in the forum, based on its responsibilities in supporting economic diversification, enhancing the competitiveness of the national economy, developing the business and investment environment, and developing the private sector, in addition to attracting quality investments and expanding partnerships with the business community and international institutions, which contributes to consolidating the position of the State of Qatar as a regional and international center for business and investment.
The forum focuses on the repercussions of economic fragmentation and technological development on capital flows and investment decisions, in addition to ways to expand the scope of benefit from investments and enhance their contribution to sustainable development and the resilience of economies.
The forum’s program includes more than 70 high-level sessions and dialogues, with the participation of 211 speakers, within 7 thematic tracks, addressing a number of sectors and issues that shape the future of global investment, most notably artificial intelligence, vital minerals, energy, infrastructure, sustainable finance, tourism and culture, in addition to emerging investment opportunities, including the space economy.
The program also includes high-level plenary sessions, ministerial round tables, and dialogues bringing together governments, investors, and business leaders, in addition to the Global Dialogue for Sustainable Stock Exchanges, the Global Investment Promotion Conference, and a number of specialized sessions on investment policies, entrepreneurship, finance, and development.
The forum’s agenda features a high-level session on “The Future of Investment in the Gulf Region”, held in cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council, and brings together ministers and officials concerned with investment in the Council countries, to discuss promising investment opportunities in the region, policies and initiatives supporting attracting investments, prospects for enhancing Gulf economic integration, and the region’s role in consolidating its position as a global center for investment.
The convening of the forum comes in light of the accelerating repercussions of recent regional developments on the global trade movement, especially the disturbances witnessed in navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, and the accompanying effects on energy flows and shipping movement, rising transportation and insurance costs, and increasing pressures on supply networks and international markets, which has brought back to the forefront the challenges of security of trade lanes and the continuity of the flow of goods and energy.
These developments highlight the importance of diversifying supply routes and trade destinations, and enhancing international coordination and cooperation to limit the transmission of the effects of regional turmoil to the movement of trade and the global economy. These are issues that are gaining increasing importance in light of the escalating challenges and risks witnessed in the international economic environment.
Doha’s hosting of the ninth edition is of special importance, as the World Investment Forum returns to the State of Qatar 14 years after it hosted its third edition in 2012, which was held in conjunction with the thirteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which represented the first session of the conference to be held in an Arab country.
