GENEVA, 29th August, 2026 (WAM) -- 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.
Held in partnership with the State of Qatar, the Forum will focus on how investment can support sustainable development and build resilience at a time of heightened uncertainty and shape the future of development.
The WIF is the United Nations’ flagship event for the global investment community. Under the theme “Investing in the Future,” WIF 2026 will bring together those who shape investment policy with those who allocate capital, with discussions spanning AI, critical minerals, energy, infrastructure, sustainable finance, tourism and culture, and emerging investment opportunities, including in the space economy.
The Forum will feature Global Leaders Plenaries, Ministerial Roundtables on investment and entrepreneurship, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Dialogue, a high-level session on investment in the Gulf region, and a global investment promotion conference, showcasing investment opportunities from around the world.
The Forum is expected to attract senior government officials, heads of international organisations, investment authorities, multinational corporations, investors, entrepreneurs and financial institutions.
UN Trade and Development’s World Investment Report 2026 shows that global foreign direct investment (FDI) recovered in 2025, but that the recovery remains uneven.
Global FDI rose 6% to $1.6 trillion in 2025, ending two years of decline. Investment in developed economies increased by 11%, while flows to developing economies rose by 2%.
More than 80% of global FDI went to the 20 largest host economies. At the same time, a small number of strategic sectors accounted for 44% of the value of global greenfield investment projects in 2025, up from 16% in 2020.
The figures underscore a central challenge for policymakers: while investment is recovering, it is increasingly concentrated in particular economies and sectors.
As geopolitical tensions, economic fragmentation and technological change influence where companies invest and how supply chains are organized, WIF 2026 will examine how investment can reach more economies and shape the future of development.