UN: Global Foreign Direct Investment Continues to Slide
联合国贸发会称全球外国直接投资急剧下滑
The U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, reports that global foreign direct investment fell drastically last year and that it is expected to continue to slide this year, with significant recovery not forecast until 2011. But the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2009 says developing countries are doing better in attracting foreign direct investment, or FDI, than the developed countries.
联合国贸易和发展会议说，全球外国直接投资(FDI)去年急剧下滑。预计，这个趋势将在今年继续，而且在2011年前不会有显著改善。不过，联合国贸发会2009年世界投资报告同时指出，发展中国家在吸引外国直接投资方面表现好过发达国家。
The report estimates that foreign direct investment inflows will fall from $1.7 trillion in 2008 to less than $1.2 trillion this year. But it is expected to pick up slowly next year and gather momentum in 2011, approaching $1.8 trillion.
联合国贸发会2009年世界投资报告估计，全球外国直接投资流入将从2008年的1万7千亿美元降至今年的1万2千亿美元。但是，外国直接投资将在明年缓慢回升，并将在2011年进一步加速，达到1万8千亿美元。
UNCTAD says the crisis has changed, what it calls, the "FDI landscape". It says the large decline in FDI inflows to developed countries has resulted in a surge of foreign investments in developing and transition economies.
联合国贸发会说，经济和金融危机改变了全球外国直接投资布局。报告说，流入发达国家外国直接投资的大幅度削减导致发展中国家和过渡经济体接受的外国直接投资急剧上升。
Nevertheless, the report says the United States remains the world's largest recipient of foreign direct investment, followed by France, China, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation.
In previous years, cross border mergers and acquisitions were a major source of growth of FDI. These too, says the report, have declined considerably as financial markets seized up in the second half of 2008.
过去几年里，跨境并购是外国直接投资增长的主要来源。但是联合国贸发会的报告说，由于金融市场2008年下半年陷于冻结，跨境并购也出现显著下降。
The report notes a general absence in projectionist policies despite the global economic recession. But UNCTAD Secretary-General, Supachai Panitchpakdi says governments have pursued trade policies favorable to domestically-produced goods and services.
报告说，全球经济陷入困境并未导致普遍的贸易保护主义政策。不过，联合国贸发会秘书长素帕猜表示，一些国家的政府的确寻求了偏向本国商品和服务的贸易政策。
"There are examples of the so-called 'covert protectionism,' which includes something like, as you can see, you know buy local, hire local, invest local, lend local, do anything local," he said. "So some of this economic nationalism trend favoring products with high domestic content with regard to government procurement. And you can see this is greatly linked to the stimulus measures, particularly in areas of public infrastructure projects."
他说：“有一些所谓‘隐性保护主义’的案例。这包括购买本国货、雇用本地人、向本土企业发放贷款，以及类似的政策。这种经济民族主义倾向还包括在政府采购方面向国产成分高的产品倾斜。这种情况主要和经济刺激计划有关，尤其是在公共基础设施建设方面。”
The UNCTAD report also focuses on agriculture, including the crucial issues of fighting hunger, promoting food security and fostering sustainable agricultural development as a pre-requisite for economic growth.
联合国贸发会的报告还谈到农业问题。其中涉及的关键问题包括对抗饥饿、促进食品安全、以及把可持续农业发展作为经济增长的必要先决条件。
The report says foreign direct investment can play a major role in helping developing countries enhance their agricultural sectors.
报告说，外国直接投资可以在帮助发展中国家强化农业部门方面发挥重要作用。
Supachai Panitchpakdi says investment funds from private sources could help spark a green revolution in Africa.
素帕猜说，私营部门的投资可以在非洲引发一场绿色革命。
"FDI by itself would not be able to do all this," said Supachai. "But I am sure it would help to give impetus to the government policies, to support government policies in areas that technology would be needed, to help create employment that would instill the sense of belief in the farming sector that could give the livelihood to the people and therefore people would remain involved in farming activities."
“仅凭外国直接投资本身并不能实现这个目标。但是我相信，投资可以推动政府决策，支持政府在技术领域的政策，帮助创造就业，从而增强人们对农业部门的信心。因为农业和人们的福祉息息相关，所以他们应该继续参与农业活动。”
The UNCTAD Secretary-General says the green revolution in Asia during the 1960s was triggered when fertilizer, seeds and farming technology became readily available. He says Africa could achieve similar results if it invests private money into the technologies needed to increase food production in an environmentally sustainable way.
素帕猜说，上个世纪60年代，化肥、种子、和农业技术的突破促成了亚洲的绿色革命。他说，如果非洲将私人投资引入可持续的粮食增产技术开发，那么非洲也可能实现类似的目标。
