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A joint announcement by UN Trade and Development and the State of Qatar on 21 January 2026 confirmed that the ninth World Investment Forum will take place in Doha from 25 to 27 October 2026. The event will bring together heads of state, ministers, chief executives, investors and development institutions to align capital with long-term development goals rather than focusing solely on short-term flows. According to UNCTAD materials the forum aims to advance global initiatives by connecting high-level policy discussions with concrete actions on resilience and inclusive growth. The announcement was made on the margins of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos by Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs and UNCTAD’s secretary-general.
UNCTAD figures show the forum will examine how investment must respond to geopolitical fragmentation, climate imperatives and rapid technological advances while emphasising productive capacity building and economic resilience. A UNCTAD assessment found that today’s investment patterns are shaping tomorrow’s trade and production maps with capital increasingly directed toward artificial intelligence infrastructure, semiconductors, critical minerals and clean technologies. The World Economic Forum reported that global investment rose in 2025 yet became more concentrated in countries possessing technological capacity, skilled workforces and strategic resources. Such trends risk leaving many developing economies on the margins of emerging value chains according to the analysis.
UN Trade and Development Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan stated in the announcement, “At a time of growing fragmentation and uncertainty, investment must once again become a driver of shared prosperity.” She added that the gathering would focus on aligning capital with long-term development, resilience and opportunity. Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs H.E. Ahmad Al-Sayed said in the joint release, “We are proud to announce Qatar as the host of the World Investment Forum 2026. We intend for Doha to be a place of action, where public and private actors come together to shape the future of investment.” The minister affirmed Qatar’s readiness to partner with UNCTAD on the initiative.
The programme according to UNCTAD planning will feature the Global Leaders Investment Summit, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Global Dialogue and an Investment and Enterprise Ministerial Roundtable. Sessions dedicated to climate finance, digital transformation and inclusive growth are also scheduled as part of the three-day event. A preparatory business leaders dialogue held in October 2025 in Geneva examined how international investment and finance can support sustainable development and will help set the agenda for the Doha gathering.
The 2023 World Investment Forum held in Abu Dhabi drew 8,000 participants including 700 chief executives and called for bridging a $4 trillion investment gap in sustainable development goals, UNCTAD data show. Previous editions of the forum since its launch in 2008 have evolved into a multi-stakeholder platform that integrates sustainable development throughout the investment value chain. UNCTAD records indicate the event regularly convenes investment treaty negotiators, sovereign wealth fund managers, academics and parliamentarians alongside government and business leaders.
A World Economic Forum review of investment trends highlighted that developing countries require realistic entry points into new value chains to avoid an unwinnable subsidy race with larger economies. The assessment noted that capital concentration in specific sectors and geographies could exacerbate development divides unless policy and international cooperation create credible pathways for broader participation. Industry data cited in the review placed artificial intelligence, data centres, energy-transition technologies and advanced manufacturing at the centre of future competitiveness and investment decisions.
Organisers from UNCTAD and the host country expect the 2026 forum to generate new partnerships, investment platforms and best practices in sustainable and innovation-led investment. The event will serve as a public-private partnership platform where policy, capital and enterprise intersect to address global challenges. Further details on confirmed speakers and side events will be released progressively through the second quarter of 2026 according to the organisers.
