Investment Arbitration

Canada, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investment Treaties, Mexico, NAFTA, United States, USMCA

(Law Offices of Kiran N Gore PLLC; The George Washington University Law School) and (Australian National University)/ /Leave a comment

On June 30, 2020, an era of international investment law and dispute resolution came to an end as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) concluded its 27-year tenure with the entry into force of United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA). Three years later, a further milestone is now marked: today, Canada, which…

Climate change, ECT Modernisation, Energy Charter Treaty, Environment, International Investment Law, International Law, Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform

(Sciences Po; Brigantia Law)/ /Leave a comment

The defining challenge of the 21st century is undoubtedly climate change. There is consensus that we need to reduce the level of carbon emissions and abide by the scientific community’s directions to preserve our environment; we are beyond preventing harm – our current urgency is mitigation. We seem united in our common goal to meet…

Arbitration, Central Asia, Investment Arbitration, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

, (George Washington University Law School)/ /Leave a comment

In recent years, international investment law and the investor-state dispute settlement (‘ISDS’) system have arguably reached their melting point, with an increasing number of participants having diverging interests and perspectives. Many of these issues have come to the surface through the discussions ongoing at UNCITRAL Working Group III. In this context, the experiences of the…

Environment, Investment Arbitration, Mining Sector, Sustainability

, , (Laborde Law)/ /Leave a comment

Following an exciting opening day (see here and here), on Day 2 of Paris Arbitration Week (PAW) Jus Mundi hosted a discussion on “Striking a Sustainable Deal: Balancing State Responsibility and Investor Rights in Mining”. The panel was moderated by Alexandre Vagenheim (Jus Mundi) and included Diora Ziyaeva (Dentons), William Kirtley (Aceris Law), Mark Johns (Exponent)…

Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, Paris Arbitration Week, Resource Nationalism

, , (Laborde Law)/ /Leave a comment

Over the past century, the waves of “resource nationalism” have affected foreign investments through government measures, ranging from policy changes, tax regimes and repatriation of profits to expropriation without compensation. Day 2 of the 2023 Paris Arbitration Week (PAW) saw Jones Day hosting a conference on “Resource Nationalism in Investor-State Arbitration”. The panel was composed…

International Investment Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Paris Arbitration Week

, , , (Laborde Law)/ /1 Comment

As part of Day 1 of the 2023 Paris Arbitration Week (PAW), Laborde Law and Honlet Legum organised a discussion between Meg Kinnear (ICSID, Secretary General), Toby Landau KC (Duxton Hill Chambers), and Prof. Alain Pellet (Paris X University) on “The Future of Investment Arbitration?”. The event was moderated by Gustavo Laborde (Laborde Law), Jean-Christophe…

Investment Arbitration, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS, ISDS Reform, UNCITRAL WG III Series, UNCITRAL WG3 Series

, (Dechert LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In preparation for the 42nd session of the UNCITRAL Working Group III (“Working Group”) in February 2022, the UNCITRAL Secretariat issued a note on “Standing Multilateral Mechanism: Selection and Appointment of ISDS Tribunal Members and Related Matters” (“Note”), dated December 8, 2021. The Note builds on several Working Group reports that addressed the selection and appointment…

Investment Arbitration, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Reform

(Allen & Overy LLP) and (Kabine Law Office)/ /Leave a comment

The OIC Investment Agreement (the “Agreement”), a multilateral instrument among certain members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, remains a potent tool for investment protection within the bloc. This post surveys developments concerning the Agreement since the authors’ last updates in late 2019 and 2020. In particular, the post provides an update on the ongoing…

Arbitration, Conference, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration

, , (Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law)/ /Leave a comment

On January 13, 2023 the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University hosted the 5th annual Schiefelbein Global Dispute Resolution Conference.  Like previous iterations of this conference, the innovative program featured top lawyers, internationally recognized mediators, academics, and leaders of arbitration institutions discussing timely issues in international dispute resolution. This year’s conference…

Anti-arbitration Injunction, Commercial Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Parallel Proceedings

(Al Tamimi & Company) and (Paxus LLP)/ /Leave a comment

In November 2022, a contract-based arbitral tribunal issued an anti-arbitration injunction with the aim of enjoining parallel investment treaty proceedings between the parties. This post examines this injunction – which was ignored by the investment-treaty tribunal – and its implications.   Background In March 2020, Patel Engineering Limited (“PEL”), an Indian-incorporated infrastructure and construction service…

European Convention on Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights, Human Rights, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Public Interest

(City University of Hong Kong/ UMBRA Strategic Legal Solutions)/ /Leave a comment

On 30 November 2022, the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (along with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law) organised the 2022 Kaplan Lecture. The lecture was delivered by Robert Spano – a former President and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) – and focussed on the new frontiers faced by…

Diversity, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Multilateral Investment Court

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A study published in 2012 revealed that only 15 arbitrators decided 55% of the 450 investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) cases reported at that time, most of them practitioners from Europe, USA or Canada. This was the case despite the fact that parties from all over the world were involved in those proceedings. To date, according…

Corporate Social Responsibility, Environment, ESG, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Uncategorized

(Leiden University)/ /Leave a comment

Investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) has been widely criticized for being a tool in the hands of multinational companies, used to challenge domestic public policy measures even when legitimately adopted in the public interest. Critiques have been notable concerning the asymmetrical nature of international investment agreements (IIAs). While IIAs were concluded to afford protection to foreign…

International Law Weekend, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, ISDS Reform, Regime Interaction, Regime Interaction in Investment Arbitration, VCLT

(Dentons US LLP), (Dechert), and (Dentons)/ /Leave a comment

International Law Weekend (“ILW”), held at Fordham Law School in New York City between October 20-22, 2022, celebrated the centennial anniversary of the American Branch of the International Law Association with a program entitled “The Next 100 Years of International Law.”  It brought together a wide variety of engaging panels and events to explore current…

International Investment Law, International Law, International tribunals, Interpretation, Investment agreements, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, VCLT, VCLT Jubilee

, (Permanent Court of Arbitration)/ /Leave a comment

In the last two decades, the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) overall docket has seen a rapid growth in mixed arbitrations between States and private parties. Today, over 180 arbitrations are currently pending before PCA tribunals, of which more than 100 are investor-State disputes brought under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties and national investment laws….

COVID-19, Investment Arbitration, Investment law, Investment protection, World Arbitration Update

, (Nyenrode Business University), and (CREDIMI – University of Burgundy)/ /Leave a comment

The current era of emergencies, which includes climate change, environmental challenges, armed conflicts, and health crises, has a profound impact on foreign direct investment (FDI). A panel held on 27 September 2022 as part of the second edition of the World Arbitration Update (WAU) engaged with the effect of such global emergencies on international investment…

Commercial Arbitration, ICCA Edinburgh 2022, Investment Arbitration, sociology of international arbitration

, (International Council for Commercial Arbitration)/ /Leave a comment

The theme of this year’s ICCA Congress was “Arbitration’s Age of Enlightenment?”, a reference to the Scottish Enlightenment, an age in which the old order was challenged, and new ideas led to innovation in several fields. The ICCA Programme Committee’s formulation of the Congress theme as a question rather than a statement is telling: its…

Environment, ESG, HK Arbitration Week, Investment Arbitration

, (K&L Gates)/ /Leave a comment

On the third day of Hong Kong Arbitration Week 2022, HKIAC hosted a panel as part of the ADR in Asia Conference entitled “Beyond Mere Greenwashing? The Impact of ESG on International Arbitration”. This panel brought together a group of specialists who discussed what environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) is, how it impacts dispute resolution,…

BIT, International arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Uncategorized

(AnchayilKumar) and (JSA, Advocates & Solicitors)/ /2 Comments

India’s Parliamentary Committee on External Affairs (the “PCEA”) recently submitted two reports to the Parliament relating to bilateral investment treaties (“BITs”). The first report –submitted in December 2021 – contained a broad review of India’s engagement with BITs and made several recommendations. The second report – submitted in July 2022 – took note of the…

Investment Arbitration, Jurisdictional challenge, Latin America, Peru, Waiver

, (Bullard Falla Ezcurra +)/ /Leave a comment
Asociación Latinoamericana de Arbitraje (ALARB)

On August 5, 2022, the Tribunal hearing the Bacilio Amorrortu v. The Republic of Peru case issued its Partial Award on Jurisdiction, upholding the State’s objection that Mr. Amorrortu did not provide a valid waiver as required by the “No U-Turn Clause” established in article 10.18.2 of the United States – Peru Trade Promotion Agreement…

Arbitrators, Hong Kong, ICCA, ICCA Edinburgh 2022, Investment Arbitration

(CMS) and (Law Society of Scotland)/ /2 Comments

After a gala evening at the National Museum of Scotland filled with Scottish gastronomy and ceilidh dancing, delegates returned to the conference centre for the last day of the ICCA Congress. Renaissance Arbitrator This panel asked: “what can lawyers and arbitrators learn from disciplines outside the law and arbitration?”. That question is particularly timely as…

IBA, Investment Arbitration, Prague Rules, Transparency, Transparency in investment arbitrations

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International arbitration has been regarded as a flexible and efficient dispute resolution mechanism. While this may hold true for most phases of the arbitration, document production (i.e., the phase where a party requests the other party to produce documents that are in the other party’s possession and are relevant to the dispute and material to…

Costa Rica, Fair and Equitable Treatment, ICSID Arbitration, Investment Arbitration, Latin America

(DJ Arbitraje)/ /Leave a comment

On 29 June 2022, an ICSID Tribunal composed of Alexis Mourre, Luis González García and Adolfo Jiménez issued its Final Award in the case brought by Alejandro Diego Díaz Gaspar, a Spanish national, against Costa Rica. The majority of the Tribunal ultimately found minor breaches of the underlying Costa Rica-Spain Bilateral Investment Treaty (the “Treaty”)…

ECT Modernisation, Environment, ESG, EU Law, Investment Arbitration, Investment Disputes, Investment law, Investor-State arbitration, ISDS Reform

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Negotiations towards a modernized Energy Charter Treaty (ECT, Treaty) ended on 24 June 2022, with the States Parties reaching an agreement in principle following discussions towards reform that began in November 2017. While the final text of the modernized Treaty has not yet been published, the Secretariat of the ECT in June issued a public…