The Annual Investment Meeting, AIM, the world’s leading FDI platform, has entered into a partnership with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies, WAIPA, which aims to bolster networking and promote opportunities.

The seventh edition of AIM will be held from 2nd to 4th April, 2017, at the Dubai World Trade Centre under the theme of "International Investment, Path to Competitiveness and Development." The event will attract and connect major investors, stakeholders, government officials and industry leaders from across the world.

"It is of great pride to collaborate with the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies in the organisation of the upcoming edition of AIM. Dubai has been ranked first regionally and 16th globally in the 2015 Global Financial Centres Index. The UAE, as the host of Expo 2020, is attracting more attention and investments from around the world. Moreover, AIM 2017 will focus on the special role of foreign firms in enhancing the country’s competitiveness," said Dawood Al Shezawi, head of the Organising Committee, AIM.

"We feel that WAIPA, as our knowledge partner, will provide valuable help and allow us to utilise established structures in mobilising and influencing stakeholders and to promote creative policy solutions," he added.

Set up in 1995, the WAIPA has 170 members from 130 countries. The organisation enables investment promotion agencies or IPAs to network and exchange best practices in investment promotion.

"We are delighted to have a synergy with the AIM, which has become a benchmark in the FDI industry. This co-operation will allow participants at AIM 2017 to identify key promotion and co-operation opportunities. We are excited to share our solid experiences in holding training events for IPAs. WAIPA is a global reference point for the FDI as we assist IPAs in advising their respective governments on the formulation of appropriate investment promotion policies and strategies. We facilitate access to the needed information and data, as well as to technical assistance. So we believe that our contribution will be of remarkable and valuable benefit and assistance to AIM," said Bostjan Skalar, CEO of WAIPA.

WAIPA will also conduct a capacity-building workshop during AIM 2017, which will see IPAs and other stakeholders discuss the impact of foreign investment on the competitiveness of national economies.

The Department of Economic Development, DED, Dubai, continues to cement its position among the top FDI destinations in the world. The FDI inflow to Dubai reached AED28.6 billion last year, and the city ranked sixth globally in terms of the FDI attracted, according to the FDI Markets report of the Financial Times.

Dubai also stood fourth globally in terms of new investment projects. The first findings of "FDI Monitor" of Dubai FDI showed a 16 percent rise in new projects in 2015 to 279, from 240 in 2014. Dubai has already attracted new FDI worth AED17.7 billion in the first half of this year.