INF/IFD/R/10  
 
17 January 2020  
(20-0515) Page: 1/4 
  Original: English  
 
 
 
WTO STRUCTURED DISCU SSIONS ON INVESTMENT  FACILITATION FOR DE VELOPMENT  
MEETING HELD ON 12 DECEMBER 2019  
Summary of discussions by the Coordinator1 
1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  An open -ended meeting of the Structured Discussions on Investment Facilitation for 
Development was held on 12 December 2019, coordinated by H.E. Mr. Eduardo Gálvez (Chile). As 
indicated in the annotated agenda circulated by the Coordinator to all Members o n 4 December 
2019,2 its main purpose was to:  (i) take stock of the progress achieved during the second part of 
2019 in further developing the elements of a framework on investment facilitation based on the 
Working Document (INF/IFD/RD/39); and, (ii) plan t he next steps of the Structured Discussions in 
the months ahead in the run -up to MC12.  
1.2.  Participating Members were also invited to discuss any other investment facilitation -related 
issue and/or revert to any issues discussed at previous meetings .3  
1.3.  Under "Other Business", the Coordinator invited the organizers of the Expert Workshop on 
"Opportunities and challenges of establishing an international framework on investment facilitation 
for development in the WTO" to debrief participating Members about the main outcomes of the 
expert workshop  held the day before in the WTO.  
1.4.  Also, under "Other Business", the Coordinator informed participating Members about the 
arrangements for his succession as Coordinator given that his posting in Geneva would conclude at 
the end of January 2020.    
2  OPENING R EMARKS BY WTO DIRECTOR -GENERAL ROB ERTO AZEVÊDO  
2.1.  Following an invitation by the Coordinator, WTO Director -General Roberto Azevêdo delivered 
opening remarks. The D irector -General  welcomed the progress made so far  by the initiative  and 
commended participants f or advancing the Structured Discussions in an open, transparent and 
inclusive manner. He congratulated participating Members  for their high level of engagement and 
welcomed their  resolve to work towards a concrete outcome at MC12 . The speech is available on the 
WTO website ( https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/spra_e/spra298_e.htm ). 
2.2.  Ensuing  the Director -General's remarks, a number of participating Members took the floor to 
reaffirm  their full support to the initiative  and their commitment to work towards achiev ing a 
concrete outcome in Nur -Sultan . They also reiterated their commitment to continue their outreach 
efforts to other WTO Members, especially developing and least developed country (LDC) Members , 
to ensure that the framework help s to address their investment facilitation priorities and needs . 
                                                
1 This summary, prepared and circulated under the Coordinator's responsibility, is being shared with a 
view to providing delegations with a record of the discussions and assisting them in reporting back to their 
capitals. It provides a non -exhaustive, illust rative review of the issues addressed by Members at the me eting. 
2 Document INF/IFD/W /12, dated 4 December 2019. 
3 The summaries of discussions of previous meetings are included in documents INF/IFD/R/7 , 
INF/IFD/R/8  and INF/IFD/R/ 9 dated 30 October , 21 November and 11 December 2019 respectively.  INF/IFD/R/10  
 
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  3  STOCK-TAKING OF WORK O VER THE PERIOD SEPTE MBER -DECEMBER 2019 A ND NEXT 
STEPS  
3.1.   The Coordinator explained that the  meeting follow ed upon continued engagement  and detailed 
substantive discussion amongst participating Members on all the sections of the Working D ocument ,4 
as well as extensive bilateral consultations with delegations,  during the period September – 
December 2019 .   
3.2.  At the last meeting and d uring his bilateral consultations with interested Members, including 
those held on 27 and 28 November  2019, to which all delegations had been invited ,5 the Coordinator 
had received feedback on the following three  main issues : (i) assessment of the discussions held on 
the basis of the Working Document in the second half of 2019 ; (ii) Members' views on the move 
from the current Working Document towards a "Streamlined Text" that would take account of th ose 
discussions ; and, (iii)  Members' views on the process envisage d to advance the objective of 
achieving a concrete outcome on investme nt facilitation for development at MC12 , includ ing moving 
into "negotiating mode " in 2020 . 
3.3.  In terms of stock -taking of the work carried out, the Coordinator underscored that the working 
document -based phase of the discussions was a period of intense work. Following an organizational 
meeting on 23 September, three thematic substantive meetings we re held on 17 and 31  October , 
and 25 November  2019, allowing p articipating Members to have detailed discussions on all aspects 
addressed in the Working Document in a constructive manner. Attendance and participation at each 
of the meetings over that period  were high, leading to interactive discussions and exchange of views. 
In addition, two delegations, China and Argentina, had circulated concrete text contributions on two 
different aspects of the Working Document.  
3.4.  As ha d been the case since the beginning of the Structured Discussions, work was Member -
driven and outcome -oriented. In line with the transparent and inclusive nature of the initiative, all 
meetings had been open to all Members. Full transparency had been ensured by allowing all Members 
to have t imely access to all the documents for each meeting.6 As agreed by participating Members, 
a summary and an assessment of the discussions were prepared and circulated by the Coordinator 
under his responsibility after each meeting .7  
3.5.  Turning to the next steps , as evidenced by the high level of participation and engagement 
during the meetings, as well as by his informal consultations, the general sense received from 
participating Members was that the initiative had made substantive progress, allowing to have a 
clearer picture of the elements that could constitute the future investment facilitation framework. 
The Working Document had proven to be the appropriate tool for such a discussion, for further 
reaching out to other Members and for the conduct of consultations with domestic constituencies. 
The discussions on the basis of the Working Document had revealed significant areas of convergence, 
areas of common interest, as well as areas that  need further consideration.  
3.6.  Following the recent Joint Ministerial Statement  (JMS) ,8 there was a widespread view that the 
next phase of the Structured Discussions would greatly benefit from a "Streamlined Text " that could 
help participating Members advan ce further and closer to the framework . The Streamlined Text 
would reflect Members' preferences and views expressed so far, while present ing the refined 
elements and issues within a clearer and more coherent framework by consolidating alternatives, as 
well as avoid ing duplication s, as appropriate. It would help improve  the readability of the framework 
by focusing within each provision, wherever possible, on those language options that had attracted 
                                                
4 Document INF/IFD/RD/39 . 
5 See summary of discussions (document INF/IFD/R/ 9 dated 11 December 2019)  and invitation to 
informal consultations sent to all  delegations by email on 25 November 2019 . 
6 In addition to sending all documents to all delegations by email, documents  corresponding to each 
meeting have been posted on the IF portal on the Members' website: 
https://www.wto .org/english/tratop_e/invfac_e/invfac_e.htm  
7 The summaries of discussion by the Coordinator are contained in documents INF/IFD/R/6 to R/ 9. The 
assessments by the Coordinator are contained in documents INF/IFD/RD/40, 43, and 44. The summary aimed 
at provid ing delegations with a record of the discussions and assisting them in reporting back to their capitals , 
while the assessments were prepared with a view to helping them identify the areas of convergence and of 
common interest, and as a way to start visuali zing the possible future development of the elements of the 
framework.  
8 Document WT/L/1072/Rev.1, dated 22 November 2019.  INF/IFD/R/10  
 
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  most support from participating Members.  Thereby , the Strea mlined Text would provide clearer 
guidance on the areas of common interest, the areas of convergence, and those areas in need of 
further development. Last but not least, the Streamlined Text would assist delegations in conducting 
more focused consultations  in their respective capitals, and support outreach efforts, especially 
towards developing and LDC Members.  Therefore , the Streamlined Text, alongside inputs and 
proposals that Members may wish to submit, would  be a good basis for the next phase in 2020.  
3.7.  The Coordinator stressed that work during the next phase of the Structured Discussions will 
continue to be Member -driven and outcome -oriented. The Streamlined Text was meant to continue 
facilitating open, transparent and inclusive discussions.   
3.8.  As to the next phase, f rom suggestions put forward by participating Members at the previous 
meeting and the Coordinator's extensive bilateral consultations with interested delegations , the idea 
also emerged that , in order to achiev e a concre te outcome at MC12  as stated in the recent JMS, the 
dynamic of the discussions would need to change. In that sense, a  number of participating Members 
had advocated moving into negotiating mode in the first semester  of 2020 .  
3.9.  Therefore, d rawing from suggest ions by participating Members  at the last meeting  and from 
his bilateral consultations with interested delegations , the Coordinator made the following two 
proposals  in order to facilitate the work in the next phase and in the run-up to MC12 : (i) to prepare 
a "Streamlined Text " building on the Working Document  and factoring in the views that participating 
Members had expressed during the detailed substantive discussions held in the past months ; and, 
(ii) moving into 'negotiating mode' as of March 2020 , giving a "warming -up" period for participating 
Members to prepare for the start of negotiations .   
3.10.   The proposal by the Coordinator was fully supported by delegations. Participating Members 
requested the Coordinator  to prepare a Streamlined Text  and endor sed switch ing to "negotiating 
mode " as of March 2 020. Many  delegations who intervened highlighted the significant  substantive 
progress made during the previous months on the basis of the Working Document , during which 
Members exchange d views on the develop ment of the specific provisions of the framework , as well 
as general positions on the issues . They stressed the  importance of moving towards negotiations in 
the first quarter of 2020 to shift gears and fulfil the recent mandate given by Ministers , namely to 
achiev e a concrete outcome at MC12. In view of delegations, the fact that 98 Members from different 
regions and at different levels of development had recently formally co -sponsored the JMS show ed 
the broad  support  to the initiative . Participat ing Members who intervened  also stated that the 
Streamlined Tex t would allow to capitalize on the progress made so far and advance the negotiations 
in the run -up to Nur-Sultan . It was stressed that such a document shall be without prejudice to the 
position  of delegation s, as well as to  any inputs or proposals  that participating Members may wish 
to submit  in the future .  
3.11.   A number of participating Members also stressed the systemic importance of achieving a 
concrete deliverable on investment facilitation at M C12 in order to show that the WTO can deliver 
on a topic of actual relevance for its Members, the private sector and the global economy. The 
importance of facilitating investments for developing and LDC  Members , as well as the need to keep 
development at t he core of the initiative was underscored by several delegations. Participating 
Members also stressed the importance of continuing with outreach efforts towards other developing 
and LDC Members, as well as keeping the process transparent, inclusive and ope n to other Members. 
In view of the need to intensify work in the coming months, several participating Members requested 
the Coordinator to circulate as soon as possible a  schedule of meetings  for the first part of 2020 up 
to MC12 .  
3.12.   Noting participating Members' support for his proposal, and as requested at the meeting, t he 
Coordinator indicated that he would prepare a Streamlined Text  to be circulated in January 2020. 
The Streamlined Text would be prepared on the basis of the Working  Document, taking into 
consideration the detailed discussions and exchange of views among participating Members, in order 
to help them further develop ing the provisions of the future framework. It would be without prejudice 
to participating Members' positi ons and their right to submit any inputs or proposal s. The Coordinator 
also informed that a tentative schedule of meetings for the period up to MC12  would be circulated 
in the coming days , in order to allow time for participating Members to prepare for the  next phase .9 
                                                
9 An email with tentative dates for the meetings to be held in 2020 up to MC12 was circulated to all 
delegations on 16 December 2019 . INF/IFD/R/10  
 
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  He also indicated that a program of work would be circulated later on, for participating Members' 
consideration, before an organizational meeting to be held in February 2020.  
4  ANY OTHER INVESTMENT  FACILITATION -RELATE D ISSUES  
4.1.  No delegation int ervened.  
5  OTHER BUSINESS  
5.1.  The Coordinator invite d the Bertelsmann -Stiftung Foundation, the German Development 
Institute, ITC and WEF , co-organizers of the Expert Workshop on "Opportunities and challenges of 
establishing an international framework on investment facilitation for development in the WTO"  
(the), held in the WTO the day before the meeting,10 to debrief Members about the main take -aways 
of the workshop.   
5.2.  The organizers of the workshop debriefed Members about the main take -aways from the 
event,11 which was attended by several capital -based officials from Investment Promotion Agencies 
- notably from developing countries and LDCs - as well as representatives of the private sector, 
international organizations , etc. The main objective of the worksh op was to identify concrete 
measures that could facilitate FDI flows to developing countries and LDCs and make a substantial 
contribution to sustainable development.12 This event was  the first of a series of events to be 
organized by those institutions in the lead -up to MC12.  
5.3.  The Coordinator and participating Members who intervened thanked the organizers for 
presenting their key take -aways of the Workshop , which  was deemed timely and useful in bringing 
together many investment facilitation practitioners and experts, notably from developing and LDC 
Members. The workshop  helped identify a range of concrete investment facilitation measures to 
foster FDI flows to developing countries, a s well as  those investment faci litation measures that 
international investors see as a pr iority.  
5.4.  Turning to another matter , Ambassador Gálvez announced that his posting in Geneva was 
coming to an end  at the end of January 2020.  After extensive consultations held over the past weeks 
with interested  delegations , and reflecting the widespread will of participating Members, it was 
agreed that Chile would continue to ensure th e Coordination of the Structured Discussions.  
__________  
                                                
10 The program of the workshop, the report on its main take -aways, as well as other documents relating 
to the workshop are available on the IF dedicated webpage : 
https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/invfac_e/ifd_event_11122019_e.htm . 
11 Mr. Karl Sauvant from the Columbia Centre on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), and former Director o f 
UNCTAD's Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development, as well as Mr. Matthew Stephenson 
from the WEF , summarized the main take -aways of the event.  
12 Among the measures identified were  the following : visa facilities; helping developing Members with 
project evaluation assessments, Ombudsperson -type of mechanisms to help prevent investor -state disputes; 
further transparency on incentives provided to investors; promoting linkages between foreign investors and 
domestic suppliers (e.g. throug h databases); more transparency on CSR programs adopted by investors; 
enhanced domestic coordination among different levels of government (e.g. central/regional); creating a 
category of "recognized sustainable investor"; further dialogue between the future  Committee on Investment 
Facilitation and stakeholders , including investors.