Investment Policy Review United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Ecuador United Nations

Note UNCTAD serves as the focal point within the United Nations Secretariat for all matters related to foreign direct investment (FDI) and transnational corporations (TNCs). and Development. UNCTAD seeks to further understanding of the nature of TNCs and their contribution to development and to create an enabling environment for international investment and enterprise development. UNCTAD's work is carried out through intergovernmental deliberations, technical assistance activities, seminars, workshops and conferences. The term " country " as used in this study also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas; the designations employed,and the presentation of the material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. In addition, the designations of country groups are intended solely for statistical or analytical convenience and do not necessarily express a judgement about the stage of development reached by a particular country or area in the development process. The following symbols have been used in the tables: Two dots (..) indicate that data are not available or are not separately reported. Rows in tables have been omitted in those cases where no data are available for any of the elements in the row; A dash (indicates es that the item is equal to zero or its value is negligible; A blank in a table indicates that the item is not applicable, unless otherwise indicated. A slash (/) between dates representing years (e.g.1998/99), indicates a financial year; Use of a hyphen (between en dates representing years (e.g. 1998-1999), signifies the full period involved, including the beginning and end of years. Reference to " dollars " ($) means United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated. Annual rates of growth or change, unless otherwise stated, refer to annual compound rates. Details and percentages in tables do not necessarily add to totals because of rounding. The material contained in this study may be freely quoted with appropriate acknowledgement.