Latin America

Latin American and Caribbean countries have signed almost 700 investment agreements. They have been targeted in almost 300 investor-state disputes.

Argentina has faced almost 62 ISDS cases, about 6% of all cases, making it the world’s most targeted state. Venezuela and Mexico have been among the ten most frequent respondents in the world, with 51 and 33 cases, respectively.

Many key cases such as Renco vs. Peru, Chevron vs. Ecuador or Pac Rim vs. El Salvador have originated in significant environmental damages caused by corporations. Philip Morris took an ISDS case against Uruguay over its anti-tobacco law.

Chile, Mexico and Peru are also party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with eight other Pacific Rim states. The TPP includes an investor-state dispute mechanism that undermines public-interest ‘safeguards’.

The most well-known cases ISDS cases in the region include:

Chevron (US) vs. Ecuador: For 26 years, Texaco, later acquired by Chevron, performed oil operations in Ecuador. Ecuadorian courts found that during that period the company dumped billions of gallons of toxic water and dug hundreds of open-air oil sludge pits in Ecuador’s Amazon, poisoning the communities of some 30,000 Amazon residents. After a legal battle spanning two decades, in November 2013, Ecuador’s highest court ordered the corporation to pay $9.5 billion to provide desperately needed clean-up and health care to afflicted indigenous communities. Chevron challenged the decisions produced by Ecuador’s domestic legal system before an ISDS tribunal. In 2018, the arbitration tribunal held that the $9.5 billion judgment was fraudulent, violated international public policy and should not be recognised or enforced by the courts of other States. The amount of the award has not been established yet. (Ecuador-United States BIT invoked)

Occidental Petroleum Corporation “Oxy” (US) vs. Ecuador: in 2012 Ecuador was ordered to pay US$1.77 billion to the investor, an oil exploration and production company, for breach of contract. Sentence was reduced to US$1 billion in November 2015 (Ecuador-United States BIT invoked).

Investors vs. Argentina: When Argentina froze its utility rates in response to its 2001-2002 financial crisis, it was hit by over 40 lawsuits from investors, including Suez & Vivendi (France), Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona S.A (Spain) and Anglian Water (UK). The ISDS tribunal concluded that Argentina had breached the investors’ right to fair and equitable treatment. By 2014, the country had been ordered to pay a total of US$980 million (various BITs invoked).

Photo: Sairen42 / CC BY-SA 3.0

(April 2020)

BNamericas | 12-Sep-2018
APM Terminals, the Spanish subsidiary of Danish company Maersk group, has informed the Guatemalan government of its intention to start arbitration proceedings over a ruling that voids its concession contract to operate a container terminal in Quetzal.
Portal Portuario | 12-Sep-2018
Sacyr inició un arbitraje internacional contra Panamá ante Naciones Unidas con el fin de resolver sus reclamaciones respecto de la inversión que el consorcio que lidera realizó para construir la ampliación del Canal.
RT | 11-Sep-2018
El tribunal determinó que Quito violó el Tratado Bilateral de Inversión y no brindó un trato justo y equitativo a la petrolera.
CNCD 11.11.11 | 11-Sep-2018
Le jugement du panel d’arbitrage s’abat comme un couperet sur les 30.000 personnes affectées par les dégâts de l’exploitation pétrolière de Chevron en Amazonie.
El Comercio | 10-Sep-2018
El Estado ecuatoriano afronta 36 procesos legales en su contra en cortes extranjeras. Entre estos se encuentra el caso Chevron 3, que en un laudo parcial que se conoció el pasado viernes (7 de septiembre del 2018), fue resuelto en favor de esta firma privada.
TeleSur | 10-Sep-2018
Ecuador will be forced to pay economic reparations to the oil giant. The over 30,000 affected people in the Amazon haven’t received any compensation.
RFI | 10-Sep-2018
La Cour permanente d’arbitrage de La Haye a annulé un jugement de la justice équatorienne condamnant la compagnie pétrolière américaine Chevron à payer 9,5 milliards de dollars de dédommagement pour dégâts écologiques dans la région amazonienne de l’Equateur.
CDES | 10-Sep-2018
The signatories of this letter wish to express their rejection of this decision and their support for the people of Ecuador and the organizations that have defended the communities affected by Chevron Texaco.
CDES | 10-Sep-2018
Les signataires de cette lettre souhaitent exprimer leur rejet de cette décision et leur soutien apporté à la population de l’Équateur et aux organisations qui ont défendu les communautés affectées par Chevron Texaco.
CDES | 10-Sep-2018
Las firmantes de la presente carta queremos expresar nuestro rechazo a este fallo y el apoyo al pueblo de Ecuador y a las organizaciones que han defendido a las y los afectados por Chevron Texaco.