JOB/GC /159 
 
27 November 2017  
(17-6480) Page: 1/2 
General Council  Original: English  
 
DRAFT MINISTERIAL DE CISION ON INVESTMENT   
FACILITATION FOR DEV ELOPMENT  
 
The following communication, dated 27 November 2017, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegations of Argentina; Brazil ; Chile;  China;  Colombia; Hong Kong, China; Kazakhstan;  
Liberia ; Mexico;  Nigeria;  Pakistan; Qatar; and Republic of Korea . 
 
_______________  
 
 
 Ministers,  
 
Recognizing  the dynamic and growing links between investment, trade, and sustainable 
development in the global economy;  
Highlighting  the central role that in vestment and trade will play in achieving the United 
Nations 2030 Sustainable Development  Goals ; 
Recognizing  the technical and capacity constraints that developing and especially least 
developed Members  face in attracting and expanding investment;  
Desiring  to expand employment, innovation, and inclusive growth, especially for women and 
MSMEs;  
Reaffirming  the right of Members to regulate in order to meet their policy objectives;  
Considering  the ongoing work in other international settings on investment facilitation as 
well as existing investment relations and commitments among Members;  
Recognizing  the recent work done so far, including in the framework of the Informal 
Dialogue on Investment Facilitation for Development , and the need to institutionalise th is process 
in the WTO framework;  
Acknowledging  the i mportance of closer international  cooperation to creating a more 
transparent, efficient, and predictable environment for facilit ating cross -border investment;  
Decide  as follows:  
1. To begin structured discussions with the aim of developing a multilateral  framework 
on investment facilitation.  
 
2. The structured discussions shall identify and develop the elements of a framework for 
facilit ating foreign direct investments that would: improve the transparency and predictability of 
investment measures; streamline and speed up administrative procedures and requirements; and 
enhance international cooperation, information sharing, the exchange of  best practices, and 
relations with relevant stakeholders, including dispute prevention. These discussions shall also 
clarify the framework's relationship and interaction with existing WTO provisions , with current 
investment commitments among Members,  and with the investment facilitation work of other 
international organizations. These discussions shall not address market access, investment 
protection, and Investor -State Dispute Settlement.  JOB/GC /159 
 
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3. Facilitating greater developing and least -developed Members'  participation in global 
investment flows should constitute a core  objective of the framework. Working in cooperation with 
relevant intergovernmental organizations, developing and least developed Members'  requirements 
in implementing the multilateral framework  shall be assessed , so that  technical assistance and 
capacity building support can be made  available to address these identified needs.  
 
4. The right of Members to regulate in order to meet their policy objectives shall be an 
integral part of the framework. T he framework shall also be designed to be flexible, adaptable, and 
responsive to the evolving investment facilitation priorities of Members.  
 
5. These structured discussions shall rely on recent and future  contributions by Members, 
as well as on the explorato ry work of the WTO Informal Dialogue on Investment Facilitation for 
Development.  
 
6. An Investment Facilitation Group shall be established to carry out these structured 
discussions. The Group shall report to the General Council twice a year on progress made.  
 
 
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