Doha, Qatar: Qatar is gearing up to host the ninth World Investment Forum (WIF) 2026 from October 25 to 27, convening policymakers, investors, business leaders, and international financial institutions to discuss key challenges and opportunities ahead.
Organised by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the flagship event, under the theme ‘Investing in the Future,’ will explore sessions shaping investment policy and significant growth drivers and strategic sectors, highlighting AI, infrastructure, energy, critical minerals, sustainable finance, tourism, culture, and the space economy.
During a press briefing at the UN House Lusail, UNCTAD delegates noted that the event will witness several Global Leaders Plenaries, Ministerial Roundtables on investment and entrepreneurship, the Sustainable Stock Exchanges Dialogue, a high-level session on investment in the Gulf region, and a global investment promotion conference, showcasing investment opportunities across the globe.
Speaking to The Peninsula, the Director of the Division on Investment and Enterprise at UNCTAD, Nan Li Collins, said, “We are actively engaging with key local entities, including Invest Qatar, which plays a pivotal role in positioning Doha as a major regional and global investment hub by attracting foreign capital and facilitating outward investment.
“The Qatar Investment Authority, one of the world’s leading sovereign wealth funds, is serving as a core forum partner given its strategic global portfolio,” she said. “Beyond our core agenda items like energy security, energy transition, and climate finance, we have partnered with over 15 local Qatari organisations across these specialised tracks to ensure a dynamic gathering of global investors.”
The director stressed that their recent visit to Doha concluded with over eight high-level meetings to secure dedicated hosting and co-chairing roles for Qatari partners at WIF 2026.
“Despite current geopolitical complexities, leadership strongly believes this is the right moment to convene, highlighting Qatar’s pivotal role in mediation, peace, and driving regional development open to global capital and collaboration,” Collins said.
She further added, “We have already confirmed attendance from approximately 20 government ministers and 20 heads of international organisations, including the Secretary-General of the ITU co-chairing our AI track and the Secretary-General of UN Tourism co-leading the tourism investment session.”
The three-day forum will also spotlight recent findings of the World Investment Report 2026, which points to an uneven global recovery in foreign direct investment (FDI).
The report notes that global FDI expanded by 6 percent to reach $1.6 trillion in 2025. However, the gains were disproportionately captured by developed markets, where inflows jumped 11 percent, compared to a modest 2 percent rise in developing economies.
The data signalled a tightening concentration of capital, with over 80 percent of global FDI flowing to the 20 largest recipient countries. Furthermore, a narrow group of strategic industries captured 44 percent of all global greenfield investment project value in 2025, a sharp increase from 16 percent in 2020.
“The GCC region is thriving, and at the same time, Qatar has registered impressive growth between 2024 and 2025,” Legal Officer, Investment Policy and Agreements at UNCTAD, Vincent Beyer told The Peninsula. “So we are very optimistic in terms of the policies being adopted here, in terms of the future, and Qatar’s ability to attract more foreign direct investment.”
Amid shifting supply chains and capital flows driven by geopolitical friction, economic decoupling, and rapid technological disruption, officials highlighted that WIF 2026 provides a platform to rethink global investment with a focus on broadening capital access across diverse economies to attain sustainable, long-term development.
