The global economic slowdown and the significant decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) have made it even more imperative to attract international investment in order to achieve sustainable development and poverty reduction. The need to maximise the benefits of FDI compels host and home governments to move beyond the traditional policy of liberalising FDI. A broader set of policies for an enabling environment for investment must be embraced: competition, taxation, financial markets, trade, corporate governance, public administration, respect for workers and environmental rights, and other public policy goals. Developing policy frameworks to ensure that multinational enterprises contribute to development goals and capacity building also remain a priority issue on the international agenda.

The OECD Global Forum on International Investment, at its inaugural meeting in Mexico City in November 2001, provided a unique platform for participants originating from OECD and non-OECD economies, representing academia, business and labour, and civil society to address the challenges posed by FDI. These selected conference papers add to the existing literature on FDI. They highlight the principal conclusions, include analyses of recent FDI trends and prospects, and discuss ways of maximising the benefits of FDI for development. The papers also examine lessons learned in OECD and non-OECD economies, governments’ responsibilities in FDI policies, corporate responsibility initiatives and the role of multilateral organisations in capacity building for FDI in host countries.