Statement by the Representative of Iran before 73rd session of Trade and Development Board of UNCTAD - Agenda item 5

Statement 

by 

Mr. Sadegh Ghorbani 

Representative of the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva 

before 

73rd session of Trade and Development Board of UNCTAD 
Agenda item: 5 

Geneva, 15 September 2026

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

Madam President,

The Islamic Republic of Iran aligns itself with the statements delivered by the Group of 77 and China, the Asia-Pacific Group and the Group of Friends in Defense of the Charter of the United Nations.

We thank the UNCTAD secretariat for the World Investment Report 2026. Its findings reinforce a message also reflected in the recent Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission. The increase in global investment flows should not obscure their growing concentration across a limited number of countries and strategic sectors, while many developing countries still struggle to attract investment that supports long-term development.

For developing countries, the objective cannot simply be to increase the volume of investment. Its quality and development impact matter just as much. Productive investment should support diversification, strengthen productive capacities, create decent employment, promote domestic linkages and value addition, and contribute to structural transformation in line with national priorities. This requires sufficient space to design investment and industrial policies suited to national circumstances and to regulate in the public interest.

Madam President, National policies cannot be considered in isolation from the wider international investment environment. Domestic reforms and investment facilitation are important, but their effectiveness also depends on fair access to finance, technology, knowledge and international markets, and on external conditions that enable rather than obstruct productive investment.

External constraints take different forms. Restrictive investment measures, unilateral sanctions and other unilateral coercive measures, security-related screening, high financing costs, restrictions on financial and banking services, and barriers to technology and market access can all affect investment decisions and development prospects. Their impact may be intensified by extraterritorial application and excessive risk-avoidance by financial institutions and private operators.

These factors directly affect the ability of developing countries to attract, retain and benefit from investment. The Islamic Republic of Iran therefore reiterates its call for the removal of sanctions and other unilateral coercive measures. They are inconsistent with international law and the Charter of the United Nations and obstruct trade, investment and development.

The same is true of armed conflict and unlawful foreign military aggression, including the recent American-Israeli unlawful military aggression against my country. In addition to their devastating human, social and economic consequences, they have serious implications from an investment perspective, including by disrupting investment flows, increasing perceived risks and financing costs, damaging productive assets, undermining confidence and predictability, and diverting capital away from long-term development.

Madam President,
The growing concentration of investment in artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, semiconductors and other strategic sectors makes challenges even more urgent. Building domestic skills, infrastructure and regulatory capacity is essential, but meaningful participation also requires more equitable access to finance, technology, knowledge and investment opportunities.

UNCTAD has an important role in addressing both dimensions of this challenge. It should continue supporting developing countries in strengthening investment policies, productive capacities and domestic linkages, while giving greater and more systematic attention to the external barriers and constraints that shape their participation in international investment flows. These factors should also be reflected in UNCTAD’s research, policy analysis and technical cooperation, including in future editions of the World Investment Report.

Ultimately, an enabling investment environment must exist at both the national and international levels. Domestic reforms cannot deliver their full development potential where access to finance, technology and markets remains unequal or constrained. International cooperation should therefore contribute to a more open, equitable, transparent, predictable and development-oriented investment environment in which developing countries can participate meaningfully and benefit from productive investment.

I thank you, Madam President.