VOA标准英语2009年-UN: Global Foreign Direct Investment Conti

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
17 September 2009

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. 

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 momentum¹ in 2011, approaching $1.8 trillion.

 
UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, right, and UNCTAD Director of the Division on Globalization and Development Strategies Heiner Flassbeck (File)
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.

Nevertheless, the report says the United States remains² the world's largest recipient³ of foreign direct investment, followed by France, China, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation⁴. 

In previous years, cross border mergers⁵ and acquisitions were a major source of growth of FDI.  These too, says the report, have declined considerably⁶ as financial markets seized up in the second half of 2008.

The report notes a general absence in projectionist⁷ 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.

"There are examples of the so-called 'covert⁸ 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 procurement⁹.  And you can see this is greatly linked to the stimulus¹⁰ measures, particularly in areas of public infrastructure¹¹ projects." 

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. 

The report says foreign direct investment can play a major role in helping¹² developing countries enhance their agricultural sectors¹⁴.

Supachai Panitchpakdi says investment funds from private sources could help spark a green revolution in Africa.

"FDI by itself would not be able to do all this," said Supachai.  "But I am sure it would help to give impetus¹⁵ 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 sector¹³ that could give the livelihood¹⁶ to the people and therefore people would remain involved in farming activities." 

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.

 

1 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 recipient   

a.接受的,感受性强的 n.接受者,感受者,容器

参考例句：

• Please check that you have a valid email certificate for each recipient. 请检查是否对每个接收者都有有效的电子邮件证书。
• Colombia is the biggest U . S aid recipient in Latin America. 哥伦比亚是美国在拉丁美洲最大的援助对象。

4 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

5 mergers   

n.（两个公司的）合并( merger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Mergers fall into three categories: horizontal, vertical, and conglomerate. 合并分为以下三种：横向合并，纵向合并和混合合并。 来自辞典例句
• Many recent mergers are concentrated within specific industries, particularly in retailing, airlines and communications. 现代许多合并企业集中进行某些特定业务，在零售业、民航和通讯业中更是如此。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

7 projectionist   

n.电影放映员，幻灯放映员

参考例句：

• The projectionist runs the film back at the end of every performance. 放映员把每部影片都重新卷绕到开头。
• The projectionist was panning the camera attentively. 放映员在聚精会神地移动摄影机。

8 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

9 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

10 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

13 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

14 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

16 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。