Investment for Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is an investment issue. Capital is needed to alleviate poverty, create jobs, accelerate the clean energy transition and allow for the development of much-needed infrastructure to provide goods and services for all. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an important source of that capital.
But investment does not come without risks. How can we ensure investments are made responsibly, without harming people, the environment or the local economy?
IISD works with governments and civil society to develop and improve legal and policy tools focusing on the critical linkage between investment and sustainable development. We look for and provide new approaches to ensure that investment law and policy advance environmentally sound investment that generates broad socioeconomic benefits. In particular, IISD experts examine how the rules and institutions that govern international investment flows can be improved to benefit developing countries.
- Newsletter
Investment Treaty News Quarterly (ITN), Volume 8, Issue 3, September 2017
Investment Treaty News (ITN) is IISD’s flagship quarterly journal on international investment law and policy.
Read More - Blog
Farmland Investments Are Finding their Way to International Arbitration
A claim registered by a Swedish investor against the Tanzanian government for revoking a land title amid concerns over the impact on local communities and a wildlife sanctuary is the first known investor-state dispute against a government linked to the so-called “land grab” phenomenon, which arose out of the 2008 food crisis.
Read More - Report
Investment-Related Dispute Settlement: Lessons from international accountability mechanisms
Working toward elements of a new mechanism for investment-related disputes, the expert meeting held in Washington, D.C., United States, on April 11, 2017 focused on ways forward on a compliance structure to hold companies accountable.
Read More - Commentary
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Fiftieth Session, Vienna, July 3-21, 2017: Submission by IISD regarding the reform of investment-related dispute settlement
IISD's participation in the multilateral process in UNCITRAL is aimed at promoting the much-needed development of a comprehensive and inclusive investment-related dispute settlement mechanism.
Read More - Newsletter
Investment Treaty News Quarterly (ITN), Volume 8, Issue 2, June 2017
Investment Treaty News is IISD’s flagship quarterly journal on international investment law and policy.
Read More - Blog
Why We Need a "Comprehensive and Inclusive" Investment-Related Dispute Settlement Mechanism
If investment-related dispute settlement mechanisms at the international level were to be built anew, what should they look like?
Read More - Policy Brief
How to Improve Gender Equality in Agriculture: Investment in Agriculture Policy Brief #5
In this policy brief, we explore how global standards and guidelines contribute to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and whether more can be done through these instruments to improve the situation of women in agriculture.
Read More - Commentary
Can Investor-State Dispute Settlement Be Good for the Environment?
Renewable energy investors have been using investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms to fight cuts to subsidies in Europe, but this short-term gain may hinder states in their broader pursuit of environmental objectives like addressing climate change and pollution.
Read More - Commentary
Reply to the European Commission’s public consultation on a multilateral reform of investment dispute resolution
The European Commission launched a public consultation to gather views on options for a multilateral reform of investment dispute resolution on December 21, 2016. This commentary outlines IISD's reaction.
Read More - Newsletter
Investment Treaty News Quarterly (ITN), Volume 8, Issue 1, March 2017
Investment Treaty News is IISD’s flagship quarterly journal on international investment law and policy.
Read More