investor-state disputes | ISDS

Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) refers to a way of handling conflicts under international investment agreements whereby companies from one party are allowed to sue the government of another party. This means they can file a complaint and seek compensation for damages. Many BITs and investment chapters of FTAs allow for this if the investor’s expectation of a profit has been negatively affected by some action that the host government took, such as changing a policy. The dispute is normally handled not in a public court but through a private abritration panel. The usual venues where these proceedings take place are the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (World Bank), the International Chamber of Commerce, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law or the International Court of Justice.

ISDS is a hot topic right now because it is being challenged very strongly by concerned citizens in the context of the EU-US TTIP negotiations, the TransPacific Partnership talks and the CETA deal between Canada and the EU.

RFI | 4-Mar-2024
Le Royaume-Uni a annoncé se retirer du traité sur la Charte de l’énergie et c’est une bonne nouvelle pour le climat. Ce traité permet en effet à une entreprise polluante de poursuivre en justice un Etat si elle juge que sa politique lui est préjudiciable.
CIRDI | 1-Mar-2024
Le 24 février 2024, la Banque mondiale a reçu une notification écrite de la part de la République du Honduras dénonçant la Convention pour le règlement des différends relatifs aux investissements entre États et ressortissant d’autres États (la Convention CIRDI).
CIADI | 1-Mar-2024
El 24 de febrero de 2024, el Banco Mundial recibió una notificación escrita de denuncia al Convenio sobre Arreglo de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Estados y Nacionales de Otros Estados (el Convenio CIADI) por parte de la República de Honduras.
ICSID | 1-Mar-2024
On February 24, 2024, the World Bank received a written notice of denunciation of the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID Convention) from the Republic of Honduras.
Global Justice Now | 27-Feb-2024
On 22 February 2024 the UK announced it will leave the climate-wrecking Energy Charter Treaty.
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment | 23-Feb-2024
Mozambique faces a substantial economic risk due to its exposure to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) claims by foreign investors in its coal, oil, and gas sectors. The investment protections in the country’s international investment agreements and contracts, combined with ISDS, expose Mozambique to multi-billion-dollar financial liabilities.
Global Trade Review | 21-Feb-2024
The investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system could be putting climate action at risk in emerging and developing economies as investors in fossil fuel projects angle for compensation, experts say.
Yahoo Finance | 21-Feb-2024
First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is seeking $20 billion from Panama in a free trade arbitration case after the Central American nation shut down the company’s flagship copper mine late last year.
CIAR Global | 19-Feb-2024
Empresa Energía Honduras (EEH), de capital colombiano y hondureño, ha notificado al Gobierno de Honduras su intención de acudir al arbitraje internacional.
Bloomberg | 19-Feb-2024
British lawmakers said the benefits of the UK’s accession to a major trans-Pacific trading bloc are unclear