128 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) participate in the Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development.

With this agreement, participating members seek to improve transparency, simplify administrative procedures, and strengthen institutional cooperation to facilitate the arrival of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Objectives of the Agreement on Investment Facilitation

At a recent WTO meeting, Mexico’s representatives expressed their strong support for incorporating this Agreement into the WTO’s legal architecture. 

From Mexico’s perspective, this instrument represents a significant contribution to the development agenda and a concrete response to one of the most pressing challenges of our time: creating conditions conducive to attracting productive investment through a more transparent, effective, and inclusive trading environment, particularly in developing and least developed countries. 

The Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development aims to create more predictable conditions for investors through clear rules, regulatory coordination, and technical assistance.

Mexico’s position on incorporating the agreement into the WTO

Now more than ever, Mexico believes that incorporating this agreement into the WTO legal framework offers an important political opportunity: to reaffirm that the WTO remains a space where progress is possible, even in complex contexts, through flexible and cooperative approaches. 

Technical work and results within the multilateral system

The Mexican delegation highlighted that the Investment Facilitation for Development initiative reflects how technical work focused on specific needs can translate into tangible results within the World Trade Organization system.

Furthermore, for the Mexican delegation, this agreement demonstrates the capacity for renewal of multilateralism in a context of challenges to the international trading system. In this sense, Investment Facilitation for Development is proposed as a mechanism based on dialogue, cooperation, and shared solutions.

In line with this vision, the initiative also shows that institutional strength can be measured by the capacity for gradual adaptation. Thus, the progress of the agreement reflects a process of practical evolution within the multilateral system, built through progressive steps and common objectives.

Reservations of some WTO members

However, some members of the World Trade Organization have expressed reservations. They point out that the agreement was negotiated outside the traditional multilateral consensus and warn that its incorporation could set institutional precedents and open debates on new trade disciplines.