United Nations Radio

The private sector should do more to support governments in developing countries, many of which cannot meet huge needs for roads, ports and electricity on their own.

According to a new report by the UN agency dealing with trade and development (UNCTAD), impoverished nations are ill-equipped to attract or maximize investments from multi-national or transnational corporations.

The World Investment Report says developing countries cannot link into the global economy and export products competitively without adequate electricity, telecommunications and transport networks, plus basic services such as access to clean water and sanitation.

UNCTAD says global foreign direct investments in infrastructure increased 31-fold to more than $780 billion between 1990 and 2006, and the share going to developing countries increased 29-fold to $199 billion.

But despite their huge needs, the world's 50 poorest countries, called the least developed countries attracted little more than 5 per cent of foreign infrastructure commitments during the same period.

This is Donn Bobb reporting for United Nations Radio.

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