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Dear Colleagues, The World Investment Forum 2018 is six weeks away and I am pleased to give you a flavor of what to expect at the event. This is our 10-year anniversary edition and promises to be the biggest Forum yet with over 5,000 people expected to gather at the Palais des Nations in Geneva to foster the role of investment in sustainable development. High-level participation Fourteen Heads of State and Government have already confirmed their attendance. Joining them will be fifty ministers from developed and developing countries; 15+ heads of UN agencies and international organizations; 30+ CEOs from some of the world’s leading companies, including Aviva, BNP Paribas, De Beers, HSBC, IBM, ING Group, Jumia, Lavazza, Nestlé, Novartis, PwC, Siemens Finance, Sophia Genetics and UBS; thought leaders; 30+ stock exchange CEOs and sovereign wealth and pension fund managers; as well as parliamentarians, CEOs of Investment Promotion Agencies, and IIAs negotiators, regulators and standard setters from the 193 UNCTAD member states. An exciting array of forward-thinking topics and events This year’s Forum will centre on three summits (including the Game Changers Summit) and six ministerial sessions focusing on topics core to the broad theme of Investing in Sustainable Development. These sessions will provide a unique opportunity to discuss key issues relating to attracting and using investment to achieve the SDGs. Complementing these will be forward-looking discussions on innovative topics such as blockchain for development and sustainability bonds. Prestigious partners For the first time over 50 prestigious partners, such as World Economic Forum, International Chamber of Commerce and World Federation of Exchanges, have joined UNCTAD in the organization of events for this year’s Forum. These partnerships have generated exciting new content for this year’s participants, including a joint Inter-Parliamentary Union- UNCTAD programme for parliamentarians, and an in-depth look at the relationship between sport and development, co-hosted with the International Olympic Committee. A unique opportunity to network The Forum will offer you an unprecedented opportunity to form partnerships and will feature networking breakfasts, working luncheons and stakeholder receptions with a diverse range of prestigious partners, as well as an all-week interactive Investment Village with many countries showing their investment opportunities and cultures. Our website<http://worldinvestmentforum.unctad.org/#/ms-1/1> is packed with more information. Please also take the time to register<http://worldinvestmentforum.unctad.org/2018-registration/> to secure a spot at this year’s big event on the investment-development calendar. I look forward to welcoming you to Palais des Nations in Geneva from 22‑26 October! James Zhan Director, Investment and Enterprise Lead, World Investment Report UNCTAD, Geneva www.unctad.org/diae<http://www.unctad.org/diae> ____ AIB-L is brought to you by the Academy of International Business. For information: http://aib.msu.edu/community/aib-l.asp To post message: [log in to unmask] For assistance: [log in to unmask] AIB-L is a moderated list.