Governments around the world are facing complex and pressing issues related to attracting and governing sustainable foreign direct investment, including, in particular, with respect to the use and scope of international investment agreements (IIAs). Prompted by a growing number of investor-state disputes as well as concerns about limitations on policy space, a number of countries are reconsidering whether the costs of IIAs may outweigh their benefits. Some countries have been forceful in their positions against current IIAs; others, even those that are traditionally proponents of IIAs such as the United States and the European Union, are reconsidering aspects of their approach to IIAs and the scope of investor rights therein (e.g. the US will not ratify TPP, and the EU is considering an investment court system as an alternative to investor-state dispute settlement). This discussion, hosted by the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with CCSI, will convene government officials, policy makers, civil society and academics to further probe these issues and help to advance the policy debate about the future of IIAs. Lunch will follow.
Panelists include:
Miriam Harwood (Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP), Abdul Kadir Jailani (Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in New York), Lise Johnson (Head, Investment Law and Policy, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment), Manuel Perez-Rocha (Associate Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies), Sudhanshu Roy (International Lawyer, Foley Hoag LLC),Todd Tucker (Fellow, Roosevelt Institute)
This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. For more information and the draft program, please visit: http://ccsi.columbia.edu/2017/02/27/developments-in-international-investment-agreements/