Global foreign direct investment fell by 11%, marking the second consecutive year of decline and confirming a deepening slowdown in productive capital flows, according to the World Investment Report 2025, released today by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Although global foreign direct investment (FDI) rose by 4% in 2024 to $1.5 trillion the increase is the result of, among other factors, volatile financial conduit flows through several European economies, which often serve as transfer points for investments.
This year’s report comes ahead of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), where global leaders will address the widening gap between capital flows and development needs. The findings underscore the urgency of reshaping investment and finance systems to support inclusive and sustainable growth.
Investment dropped sharply across developed economies, particularly in Europe. In developing countries, inflows appeared broadly stable – but this concealed a deeper crisis: in too many economies, capital is stagnating or bypassing entirely the sectors that matter most – infrastructure, energy, technology, and the industries that drive job creation.
Website: https://unctad.org/wir2025
Production date: 19 June 2025
Creator: UNCTAD
Subject topical: ECONOMICS
Corporate name: UN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT – UNCTAD
DESCRIPTION
STORY: UNCTAD / World Investment Report
TRT: 02:58
SOURCE: UNCTAD
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
WEBSITE: https://unctad.org/wir2025
DATELINE: 19 JUNE 2025, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1. Wide shot, drone footage of the Alley of the Flags, Palais de Nations, Geneva; speaker on screens
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “Productive global foreign direct investment continues to be weak, with a further negative outlook for 2025 and with consequences most sharply felt in the developing world.”
3. Medium shot, journalists attending the press room.
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “In 2024, global foreign direct investment fell 11%.”
5. Medium shot, journalist in the press room.
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “Behind those numbers are very real consequences. Jobs not created. Infrastructure not built. Sustainable development delayed. What we see here is not just a downturn. It is a pattern.”
7. Medium shot, photographer taking pictures.
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “This is happening because of growing geopolitical tensions, rising trade barriers, increasing screening measures on foreign investment, especially in the developed countries.”
9. Wide shot, speakers at the podium of the press room.
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “We need to embed sustainability in the investment decision-making aligned with standards, combat greenwashing and support countries for policy reform.”
11. Medium shot, photographer taking pictures.
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “We need to reform investment policies and direct capital to the real economy – energy, industry, tech, infrastructure – so we can steer capital towards these very important sectors. Finally, we need to modernize the international investment governance, update international rules to protect public interest, ensure fair treatment for investors, and preserve national policy space.”
13. Medium shot, journalist in the press room.
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebeca Grynspan, UN Trade and Development, Secretary-General: “The time to act is now. Investment is not just about money. It is about trust. It is about fairness. It is about a future that includes everyone.”
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
1
1
1
Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur
Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.
2
1
2
Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN
Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.