General information about WAIPA

What is WAIPA?

The World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) was established in 1995 and is registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Currently, the Association has 252 member agencies from 162 countries.

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.

Last updated: 15 January 2020, 10:39