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Smaller firms account for 70% of the world’s employment, 90% of businesses and 50% of global GDP. Rising energy, transport, insurance and financing costs can put disproportionate pressure on these firms. Vulnerabilities are particularly acute in developing economies and exclusion from value chains can persist even as overall trade recovers.

As geopolitical tensions, economic security concerns and changing supply chains reshape international investment, developing economies are adapting their policies to attract investments and strengthen their contribution to development. Default image copyright and description © UNCTAD Photo | Acting Secretary-General Moreno (pictured right) opens the 16th Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission on 31 August in Geneva.

Register now: World Investment Forum from 25 to 27 October in Doha, Qatar 01 Sep 2026 UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will convene the ninth World Investment Forum (WIF) (Doha, Qatar, 25-27 October), bringing together policymakers, investors, business leaders and international financial institutions as geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and rapid technological change reshape global investment.

World Investment Forum to bring global investment community to Doha 01 Sep 2026 UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will convene the ninth World Investment Forum (WIF) (Doha, Qatar, 25-27 October), bringing together policymakers, investors, business leaders and international financial institutions as geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and rapid technological change reshape global investment.

UNCTAD is supporting port professionals through new training focused on practical solutions for cleaner and more efficient port operations. Default image copyright and description © World Bank/Dana Smillie | The port of Rades, Tunisia. Ports under growing pressure to adapt to the energy transition, as cleaner shipping, new fuels and changing regulations reshape maritime trade.

Default image copyright and description © Shutterstock/kross13 | Malé Commercial Harbour, the Maldives. The Borrowers’ Platform recently held its first technical capacity-building workshop, bringing together representatives from nine developing countries to exchange knowledge and strengthen debt management practices through peer learning. Hailed as “a breakthrough in global financing,” the Platform was launched in April 2026 in the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The São Paulo Round Protocol of the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) is one ratification away from entering into force, marking a major milestone for South–South trade cooperation after almost three decades of negotiations and preparations. UNCTAD estimates that implementation could generate welfare gains of up to $27 billion and tariff reductions of at least 20% on about 6,000 products.

Acting Secretary-General Moreno calls for the global energy transition to become a driver of sustainable development for mineral-rich developing countries, avoiding a repetition of past extractive models. Default image copyright and description © UNCTAD Photo | Acting Secretary-General Moreno (at the podium and on screen) spoke at a high-level meeting on critical minerals held at UN Headquarters in New York on 14 July.

On 14 July, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) unveils its new Commodity Dependence Dashboard. The new interactive dashboard provides direct, user-friendly access to regularly updated data, helping policymakers formulate strategies for more diversified, resilient and sustainable economies. Explore regularly updated data covering 195 Member States.

Foreign investment is not falling out of favour with governments. But the rules governing it are changing. According to the World Investment Report 2026 by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), governments adopted a record 229 investment policy measures in 2025. While most remained favourable to investors, policymakers are increasingly steering investment towards industries they see as critical for growth, resilience, technological leadership and economic security.