ASIA and the PACIFIC · INVESTMENT ATTRACTION
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) engaged FDI Center to develop a regional investment promotion framework for ASEAN member states to strengthen coordination and promote the region collectively as a location for foreign direct investment.
The aim of the project was to enable ASEAN member state investment promotion agencies to work together to promote the region as a whole, focusing on opportunities for investors to take advantage of regional value chains.
FDI Center worked closely with UN ESCAP, ASEAN investment promotion agencies, and stakeholders to design and implement a practical approach for joint promotion across the region. During this time, we:
- identified priority sectors in the green economy and health industries based on global investment trends, regional priorities, and potential for joint promotion.
- conducted value chain analysis for selected sectors, assessing key activities, investment drivers, operational requirements, and location factors influencing investor decisions.
- evaluated the suitability of individual ASEAN Member States for different value chain activities, resulting in a comparative, activity-level ranking.
- developed detailed, sector-specific action plans outlining outreach steps, timelines, coordination mechanisms, and implementation requirements for joint promotion and attraction.
- designed a regional investment promotion framework with shared targets and key performance indicators, aligned messaging, centralized marketing materials and tools, and clearly defined processes for participating countries to collaborate.
- delivered several workshops for ASEAN IPAs and stakeholders to support implementation, strengthen coordination, and build capacity for joint investment promotion.
Based on this work, ASEAN member states have adopted a structured and practical approach to coordinated investment promotion, enabling more effective positioning of the region as an integrated investment destination.
RIPAP press releases can be found on the UN ESCAP website here and ASEAN website here.
