The State of Play for Sustainable Development in the Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development

The report analyzes the integration of sustainable development goals within the WTO's Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development. It highlights challenges in replicating the Trade Facilitation Agreement's special and differential treatment (S&DT) model, specifically regarding the complexity and timeline of needs assessment reports. The text reviews proposals for sustainable investment provisions, including Responsible Business Conduct (RBC), anti-corruption measures, and domestic supplier databases. Additionally, it explores the potential role of 'home state measures' in facilitating outward foreign direct investment that aligns with sustainability goals.

• Negotiators are attempting to replicate the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) model for Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT), which allows developing and least-developed country (LDC) members to self-designate commitments into Categories A, B, and C based on their capacity and needs.
• The use of needs assessment reports in the IFD context faces five primary challenges: expanded scope and coverage (covering the entire investment life cycle), a larger number of stakeholders to coordinate, a significantly tighter timeline (approximately 8 months compared to 5 years for the TFA), financing uncertainties, and the need to adapt standardized templates.
• Provisions for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in the 'Easter Text' are non-binding and focus on encouraging investors to voluntarily comply with international standards, engage with local and Indigenous communities, implement supply chain due diligence, and exchange best practices.
• The framework includes stabilized provisions to fight corruption within the scope of investment facilitation, emphasizing accountability, transparency, and integrity, though some members argue these should not be subject to dispute settlement.
• The proposed Domestic Supplier Database aims to help investors find local suppliers, including micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, through a best-endeavour provision that allows for public or private management of the database.
• There is a proposal to introduce 'home state measures' to increase the transparency of support for outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and to link such support to sustainability conditions, though some members question if this falls under 'promotion' rather than 'facilitation'.

APA

Jose, R., & Oeschger, A. (2022). The State of Play for Sustainable Development in the Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/joint-statement-initiative-investment-facilitation-en.pdf

Chicago

Jose, Rashmi, and Andreas Oeschger. The State of Play for Sustainable Development in the Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/joint-statement-initiative-investment-facilitation-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jose |first1=Rashmi |last2=Oeschger |first2=Andreas |title=The State of Play for Sustainable Development in the Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/joint-statement-initiative-investment-facilitation-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jose2022state, author = {Jose, Rashmi and Oeschger, Andreas}, title = {{The State of Play for Sustainable Development in the Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation for Development}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-04/joint-statement-initiative-investment-facilitation-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }