OREANDA-NEWS. May 05, 2008. Uzbek investment promotion agency Uzinfoinvest became a member of international community of IPAs – WAIPA (World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies) – during the World Investment Conference in Accra, Ghana, reported the press-centre of Uzinfoinvest.

Uzinfoinvest was represented at the the World Investment Forum in Ghana by its Director, Bakhtiyor Irmatov. The Forum was attended by a large number of both Government representatives and corporate executives from 76 countries.

The WAIPA membership will provide Uzinfoinvest with good networking opportunities, improved access to technical assistance and training, and exchange of best practices in investment promotion. This important event has been supported and facilitated by UNDP's joint project with the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of Uzbekistan "Capacity building and strengthening foreign trade and investment promotion institutions in Uzbekistan".

WAIPA was established in 1995 and is registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The Association currently has 227 members coming from 156 countries and acts as a forum for IPAs to provide networking opportunities and facilitate the exchange of best practices in investment promotion as well as in capacity building.

The objectives of WAIPA, as reflected in its statutes, are to promote and develop cooperation amongst its members, strengthen information exchange among them, share country and regional experiences in attracting investment, help members gain access to technical assistance and training through WAIPA events or by way of refferals to relevant international or multilateral organizations and assist IPAs in advising their respective government on the formulation of appropriate investment promotion policies and strategies.

WAIPA works in close cooperation with its partners, who are: FIAS (Foreign Investment Advisory Services) of the Worldbank Group, IEDC (International Economic Development Council), OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, PROINVEST, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) and UNIDO (United nations Industrial Development Organisation). As well, WAIPA collaborates with IBM-Plant Location International, Ernst & Young, Buck Consultants International and Oco Consulting.