World Investment Forum 2026 explores how climate priorities can become investment opportunities

Participants in a session titled "From Climate Priorities to Investment: Accelerating Energy Transition Projects" held within the framework of the World Investment Promotion Conference (WIPC) on the sidelines of the ninth edition of the World Investment Forum 2026, hosted by the State of Qatar in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), discussed ways for governments and IPAs to strengthen an enabling environment for investors, prepare and promote projects, and develop risk-sharing arrangements in cooperation with development finance institutions.

They also discussed the requirements for the transition of energy transition projects from the stage of national plans to the stage of financing.

Speakers shared their practical experiences, obstacles in promoting energy transition projects, and highlighted approaches that can transform climate priorities into actionable investment opportunities.

Ms. Natalie Collins, President of the World Investment Forum and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Exchanges Initiative, delivered the opening remarks of the conference, noting that energy and digital transformation are reshaping economies, industrial sectors, and investment decisions.

"The key challenge is to ensure that these transformations create sustainable development opportunities for all countries. Achieving the SDGs requires substantial private investments in developing countries, particularly in strategic sectors related to climate, digital infrastructure, and digital services."

She pointed out that the required capital flow will not be achieved without supportive policy and regulatory frameworks, a reliable set of financeable projects, and effective risk management mechanisms.

She explained that IPAs and special economic zones play a pivotal role in transforming national priorities into investment opportunities through the preparation and promotion of projects, facilitating investment, and linking governments with investors and development finance institutions.

H.E. Sheikh Ali bin Alwaleed Al Thani, Chief Executive Officer of IPA Qatar, delivered the keynote address at the conference, stressing that investors need more reliable data, transparent regulations and clear answers to their questions.

In his speech, he also stressed the need to follow up with investors after establishing their projects, especially since investors are likely to expand their projects, invest in new projects and persuade other investors to follow their example. "At IPA Qatar, we have sought to build our business on this foundation. We have assigned each investor a relationship manager, who handles his or her duties from the first contact to the post-investment services. The Invest Qatar portal provides licensing, banking, visas, recruitment and many more services in a single digital platform, and we have an official channel to ask investors' questions to the government and help solve them."

He also called on IPAs to collaborate, saying: "Artificial intelligence, energy transformation, and future infrastructure will need capital that transcends borders, passes through regional value chains, and reaches areas that have not yet appeared on most investors' maps."

"So, let's collaborate where it's essential, let's share our expertise on investor needs, and connect our special economic zones and ecosystems, so that companies developing in one market can access the next market."

The IPA Qatar CEO reviewed the findings of the World Investment Report 2026, which indicates that global FDI grew last year, ending two years of decline, but this recovery is uneven, and most of this capital is directed to a few major economies.

Global FDI inflows rose 6 percent to $1.6 trillion, flows to advanced economies grew by 11 percent, developing economies grew by only 2 percent, and the top 20 economies accounted for more than 80 percent of total FDI.

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