Discussion, debate and dissent about investment and sustainable development at the 2023 World Investment Forum

The recently completed 2023 World Investment Forum in Abu Dhabi saw a rare confluence of leaders from public, private and civil society sectors gathering at dozens of scheduled and dozens more impromptu meetings aimed at building better cross-sector relationships and a common understanding about current best practices and near-term trends in sustainable development around the world. Here is what I took away from those meetings: (1) discussions there were building an investment regime to guide leaders within and across sectors who are trying to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, leading to faster economic development and better environmental, social and governance practices; (2) debates there were focusing on how and how quickly to build that regime and reach those goals with investment projects based on public-private-partnerships; and (3) occasional dissent there about how to build that regime and reach those goals reminded some about inconvenient evidence-based truths about investor–State dispute settlement clauses in bilateral investment treaties and foreign direct investment. I elaborate on those points and conclude with some personal reflections and suggested additions to future meetings aimed at building that investment regime and advancing towards those development goals.