World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA)
What is WAIPA?
The World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) is a non-governmental organization established in 1995 in Geneva to establish contacts and develop cooperation, exchange experience and critical information in the field of attracting foreign direct investment between investment agencies. The Global Association unites 137 investment agencies from 115 countries (https://waipa.org/members /).
In September 2011, the Investment Development Agency of the Republic of Tatarstan joined the World Association of Investment Agencies (WAIPA), becoming the first representative of Russia to join WAIPA.
WAIPA acts as a forum for investment promotion agencies (IPAs) to provide networking opportunities and facilitate the exchange of best practices in capacity-building and investment promotion. Membership is open to all agencies whose prime function is to promote any country or territory for investment.
What are the Goals of WAIPA?
WAIPA aims to improve cooperation amongst IPAs on a regional and global basis and facilitate the exchange of experiences in attracting FDI. The objectives of WAIPA, as reflected in its statutes, are to:
- Promote and develop understanding and cooperation amongst IPAs;
- Strengthen information gathering systems and information exchange amongst IPAs;
- Share country and regional experiences in attracting investment;
- Help IPAs gain access to technical assistance and training through WAIPA sponsored events or by way of referrals to relevant international or multilateral agencies;
- Assist IPAs in advising their respective governments on the formulation of appropriate investment promotion policies and strategies.
Who are the Partners of WAIPA?
WAIPA's Consultative Committee consists of several international governmental and non-governmental organizations.
- Foreign Investment Advisory Services (FIAS) of the World Bank Group;
- Internation Economic Development Council (IEDC);
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD);
- ProInvest;
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD); and
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
How do WAIPA Members Benefit?
Membership of WAIPA involves the payment of an annual fee (click here for the information concerning the Membership Fee structure). Members benefit from three types of services: Publications, Training and Networking.
Publications: WAIPA Members regularly receive the following:
- The quarterly WAIPA Newsletter;
- The fortnightly WAIPA Electronic News Bulletin;
- A selection of investment-related publications of WAIPA’s Consultative Committee members (FIAS, IEDC, OECD, PROINVEST, UNCTAD and UNIDO).
Training: WAIPA provides a full Programme of training workshops organized independently or in cooperation with other international organizations and private companies. Participation in these workshops is free of charge for WAIPA members. In 2003, the WAIPA training Programme is including workshops on «Cluster Creation and Development», «Investor Servicing and Aftercare», «Strategic Marketing» and «Event Management». Each workshop is custom-tailored to the geographical area of the participating IPAs. Finally, WAIPA offers the unique opportunity enabling the professionals of WAIPA member agencies to spend up to two weeks training at successful IPAs worldwide.
Networking: WAIPA's Annual Meeting offers cost-effective networking opportunities with corporate executives, and representatives of international and multilateral organizations. Additionally, WAIPA offers to its members the showcasing facilities of its website. The website provides links to their homepages. Last but not least, WAIPA jointly represents its member IPAs at investment fairs and other international fora.
In 2017, the Unified Presentation Center of the AIR of the Republic of Tatarstan was recognized as unique in the world by the World Association of Investment Development Agencies (WAIPA).
The Unified presentation center is an exhibition and presentation hall designed to work with potential investors. It helps to disseminate information about the investment, economic and production potential of the Republic of Tatarstan most effectively and includes an exhibition hall, an export wall "Made in Tatarstan", a national Tatar hut, interactive screens and a 5D cinema with the possibility of virtual visits to industrial enterprises and industrial parks operating in the republic. One of the most effective tools for attracting investments to the Republic of Tatarstan is the organization of business missions. Visits by representatives of the business community of foreign countries allow delegates to familiarize themselves with investment opportunities in the region, the existing infrastructure, and assist in establishing business contacts with the local business community and relevant ministries and departments in a few days.
Since the launch of the UPC on December 22, 2016, Agency staff have been keeping statistics on its visits. In the period from 2016-2024, 1,329 delegations visited the UPC, which is 10,370 people. Statistics are also kept on the number of countries that visited the center during the year.