This three-day capacity-building seminar was held at the Joint Vienna Institute and examined existing investment policy and promotion frameworks in place in Central Asia.  The seminar identified areas most in need of reform, and provided participants with the tools to unlock their country’s potential in these areas.

This seminar was based on the key findings of the OECD Central Asia Competitiveness Outlook and OECD consultations with policy makers leading work on investment policy and promotion in the region.

• build better investment policy frameworks to attract better quality foreign direct investment (FDI) that will generate employment and foster economic diversification
• build further investment promotion capabilities, further diversify economic sectors receiving FDI, and establish successful tools for investment promotion agencies

      The Investment policy session discussed:

• The OECD FDI Restrictiveness Index applied to three country studies from Central Asia
• The OECD Investment Policy Review (IPR) process, with a presentation of the recent review of Kazakhstan
• Examples of various international instruments for investment protection

      The Investment promotion session discussed:

• Business Linkage Programmes between local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and multinational companies
• Examples of specific policies and frameworks to attract FDI to non-energy based sectors

The meeting was invitation-only and brought together delegates from beneficiary governments, Austrian businesses and international organisations.