On December 2nd, 2018, Mrs. Nazha Benabbes Taarji-Aschenbrenner, director of AIM Congress, Senior Adviser on Investment Promotion and Facilitation, gave a lecture on promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) and achieving sustainable development in the Room 103 of the MBA No.9 Teaching Building, North Campus. During this lecture, Ms. Nazha introduced the definition, potential benefits and drawbacks of FDI, as well as the definition of sustainable development, which attracted full attention of attendees.

(all attendees)

In the first half of this lecture, Ms. Nazha gave an extremely detailed description, covering from the definition of FDI to benefits and drawbacks of FDI. She viewed FDI as the contributor to the growth of domestic capital, to add more employment and incomes, as well as an engine of economic growth in the long run. Besides, she also considered that FDI may have certain drawbacks, such as crowding out effects on domestic capital, unfair competition between foreign and domestic companies, the “market steel effect” as a result of the scant ability of absorption and so forth.

In the last half of this lecture, Ms. Nazha mainly shed light on the definition of sustainable development, and explained the United Nations 2016 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in detail, which covers lots of principles of sustainable development. And some of the critical questions from them that would be pay more attention are included as follows: what is the investor perspective on sustainable investment as opposed to the government perspective on sustainable investment and how to make FDI work for sustainable development? How can governments develop sustainable investment effectively and introduce collaborative approaches into international firms?

(A key introduction of sustainable development summit)

At the end of the lecture, she concluded that, to make FDI work for sustainable development, adaption of series of strategies and regulations which promote sustainable investment are enforced, such as those already developed by international bodies. And this will allow long term growth patterns and would lead to inclusive growth.

(A significant conclusion for this lecture)

Finally, the attendees benefited a lot from this lecture presented by Ms. Nazha, and they also come up with some questions to her. During each part of the lecture, several questions were put forward by the attendees and Mrs. Nazha answered them very patiently. And the lecture ended with a round of applause. 

(Attendees interacted with Ms. Nazha)

Lecturer's profile:

Nazha Benabbes Taarji-Aschenbrenner is an international public policy adviser on foreign direct investment (FDI), investment promotion, business facilitation and economic development. After more than thirty years of international career at the United Nations, she retired in March 2012 as Director of the Investment Capacity Building Branch at the Investment & Enterprise Division of UNCTAD.

She graduated from the University of Nice, France, and studied at the International Research Institute at Johns Hopkins University. She joined the United Nations in 1981 and worked in the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs with dual citizenship in Morocco and Austria. Ms. Nazha was the Head of Corporate Development at the Investment and Corporate Division from March 2007 to June 2009.

During her tenure, she provided policy advice to the government to help developing countries develop strategies, work with local institutions, encourage entrepreneurs in developing countries to innovate and grow, especially promote SME preferential policies, and strengthen existing business links between local SMEs and multinational companies.

娜扎•本·塔吉本娜女士是外国直接投资（FDI）以及投资与商业促进等经济领域的国际公共政策顾问。在联合国工作了三十多年后，她于2012年3月退休，担任贸发会议投资和企业司投资能力建设处处长，曾任联合国贸发会议投资促进和企业发展处投资能力建设主任和首席顾问。                        

她毕业于法国尼斯大学，曾在美国约翰霍普金斯大学的国际研究学院学习。于1981年加入联合国，曾在摩洛哥外交部工作，有摩洛哥和奥地利的双国籍。娜扎•本·塔吉本娜女士曾于2007年3月至2009年6月担任投资与企业处企业发展主管。

任职期间，她向政府提供政策咨询，帮助发展中国家制定战略，与当地机构合作，鼓励发展中国家企业创新和成长，特别推进中小企业优惠政策、增强当地中小企业和跨国公司的已有商业联系。