A research paper from UNIDO has highlighted the significantly large opportunities for developing countries in a just developing segment.
An excerpt from the paper – and a link to the full report below
There are more than 7,000 SEZs globally, supporting industries that contribute to local and national economies. Some outstanding examples include China’s Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, India’s Foxconn Industrial Parks, Singapore’s Jurong Island, and Morocco’s Tanger Med Special Agency. Nevertheless, their impacts in developing countries tend to be localized and limited, performing only as well as the country average in terms of economic growth, and having little effect on their host territories.
But in this new era of cleantech and rapid technological expansion, developing countries may benefit from a new generation of SEZs that take advantage of the energy transition and advanced technologies.
Some SEZs in developing countries are differentiating themselves by promoting circular economy principles, developing and implementing net-zero strategies, and adopting models such as the International Framework for Eco-Industrial Parks (EIPs).3 The Framework requires industrial parks, responsible for 15–20% of total global CO2 emissions,4 to adopt resource-efficient practices and report environmental performance against indicators such as energy efficiency, renewable energy supply, and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction
Read the full report on this link – https://iap.unido.org/articles/new-trends-special-economic-zones-opportunities-developing-countries