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 The Sixteenth Session of Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission of UNCTAD Agenda Item 5 Geneva, 31 August – 4 September 2026 **** بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم Mr/Madam Chair, We align ourselves with the statements delivered by the Group 77 and China, and the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter. We also thank the UNCTAD secretariat for the background documentation. The World Investment Report rightly identifies an increasingly concentrated and uneven investment landscape. Investment in strategic and technology-intensive sectors is increasingly directed towards economies with strong financial and technological capabilities, while many developing countries face persistent investment gaps and limited access to investment opportunities. For developing countries, therefore, the question is not only how to adapt their domestic policies, but also whether the international environment itself provides them with equitable investment opportunities. Access to investment is closely linked to access to finance and financial services, technology and related know-how, markets, infrastructure and participation in regional and global production networks. In this context, we believe that any comprehensive discussion of the international investment environment would be incomplete without taking into account unilateral coercive measures and other restrictive measures that affect investment flows and place affected developing countries at a structural disadvantage. By restricting access to finance, technology, investment and international markets, such measures can further intensify trade-policy uncertainty, reduce predictability, increase perceived risks and deepen fragmentation and unequal access to investment opportunities. A comprehensive assessment must also account for the effects of armed conflict and foreign military aggression, including the recent unlawful military aggression on my country by the United States and the Israeli regime against all rules and principles of international law. Such actions can disrupt the allocation and flow of capital, damage productive infrastructure, increase insurance, operating and financing costs, heighten investment risks and further reinforce the uncertainty and fragmentation already affecting the international investment environment. At the same time, the quality of investment matters as much as its quantity. Developing countries must also retain adequate policy space to pursue investment and industrial strategies consistent with their national priorities. The World Investment Report has made an important contribution by identifying the growing asymmetries. The next step should be to move from diagnosis towards practical policy responses. We encourage UNCTAD to deepen its analysis of the development implications of investment concentration, industrial policies, and other restrictive measures, and to facilitate inclusive intergovernmental dialogue and support for developing countries in overcoming structural and external constraints. South-South cooperation and regional integration, including in the Persian Gulf region, can complement these efforts by expanding markets, supporting value addition and creating new development opportunities. Our objective should be an international investment environment that is open, predictable, equitable, non-discriminatory and genuinely development-oriented. I thank you, Mr. Chair.