WT/L/1130  
10 December  2021 
(21-9270) Page: 1/2 
 Original: English  
 
 
JOINT STATEMENT ON INVESTMENT  FACILITATION FOR DEVELOPMENT  
 
The following communication, dated 10 December  2021, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegations of Afghanistan; Albania; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Bahrain, Kingdom 
of; Barbados; Benin; Brazil; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; 
Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Congo; Costa Rica; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; 
Ecuador; El Salvador; European Union; Gabon; The Gambia; Georgia; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; 
Guinea -Bissau; Honduras; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Indonesia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Korea, 
Republic of; Kuwait, the State of; Kyrgyz Republic; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Liberia; 
Macao, China; Malaysia;  Maldives; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; 
Montenegro; Morocco; Myanmar; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; 
Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia , 
Kingdom of; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Suriname; Switzerland; 
Tajikistan; Togo; Turkey; Uganda; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uruguay; Vanuatu; 
Yemen; Zambia ; and Zimbabwe.  
_______________  
 
 
The following Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO):  
Afghanistan; Albania; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Bahrain, Kingdom of; Barbados ; 
Benin; Brazil; Burundi; Cabo Verde; Cambodia; Canada; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; 
China; Colombia; Congo; Costa R ica; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; 
European Union; Gabon; The Gambia; Georgia; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea -Bissau; 
Honduras; Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Indonesia; Japan; Kazakhstan; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait, 
the Sta te of; Kyrgyz Republic; Lao People’s Democratic Republic;  Liberia; Macao, China; Malaysia; 
Maldives; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova, Republic of; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; 
Myanmar; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Nigeria; North Macedonia; Norway; Pana ma; Papua New 
Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Qatar; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of; 
Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Solomon Islands; Suriname; Switzerland; Tajikistan; Togo; 
Turkey; Uganda; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; Uru guay; Vanuatu; Yemen; Zambia ; and 
Zimbabwe , 
hereby issue the following statement:  
1. Recognizing the crucial importance of international investment and trade as twin engines of 
economic growth, sustainable development and global resilience, especially in the context of 
recovery from the COVID -19 pandemic.  
2. Recalling and building on the Joint Ministerial Statements adopted in Buenos Aires in 2017 and 
Shanghai in 2019, we reaffirm our shared objective to facilitate foreign direct investment and, 
for this purpose, to conclude a multilateral Agreement on investm ent facilitation for development 
that will help WTO Members attract, expand and retain foreign direct investment flows and to 
achieve sustainable development goals.  
3. Reaffirm ing that facilitating greater developing and least -developed Members' participatio n in 
global investment flows constitutes a core objective of the Agreement, we recognize  the 
importance to support developing and least -developed Members in implementing the Agreement 
by addressing their identified needs through special and differential tr eatment, including 
technical assistance and capacity building . WT/L/1130 
 
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  4. Commending the substantial progress made in the negotiations on investment facilitation for 
development since their formal launch in September 2020, we welcome the Consolidated 
Document by the Coordinator – Easter Text (Revision 5)  as contained in WTO document 
INF/IFD/RD/74/Rev.5 , which reflects considerable convergence and identifies areas that need 
further discussio n.1  
5. We are of the view that this document has made significant and tangible progress including by 
developing the key elements identified in the preceding Joint Statements – such as improving 
the transparency of investment measures, streamlining and speeding -up administrative 
procedures, and enhancing international coopera tion, information sharing, and the exchange of 
best practices . The discussions also address means of encouraging sustainable investment. The 
negotiations exclude market access, investment protection, and Investor -State Dispute 
Settlement, and clarify the r elationship between the future Agreement and Members' investment 
commitments. Accordingly, we consider the Consolidated Document by the Coordinator – Easter 
Text (Revision 5)  as the basis for our ongoing negotiations, aiming to conclude the text 
negotiatio ns by the end of 2022.  
6. We reaffirm our determination to continue and further intensify our outreach efforts and 
encourage all WTO Members to join this Joint Statement and participate in these Member -driven, 
open, transparent, and inclusive negotiations.  
 
__________  
 
1 The 'plain text' that is not in square brackets in the Easter Text (Revision 5) does not indicate 
agreement to, or conclusion of, the text.