Stakeholder Session on UNCITRAL ISDS Reform Process

by |April 23rd, 2018
Categories: Past Events
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Date: April 23, 2018, 6:00pm-9:00pm
Location: Regency Room, Grand Hyatt, 109 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is currently engaged in a process to consider reform of investor-state arbitration (also known as investor-state dispute settlement or ISDS). ISDS is also one of the controversial issues being addressed in the NAFTA negotiations, and driving the EU-led initiative to create a multilateral court for investment claims. Alongside the UNCITRAL negotiations, (April 23-27, 2018 in New York), the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, International Institute for Sustainable Development, and the International Institute for Environment and Development organized a session for interested members of the public (e.g., civil society, academia, practitioners) to present their views on the issues discussed at UNCITRAL, namely:  the problems with ISDS, options for reform, and suggested directions for UNCITRAL.

Program:

6:00 – 6:40 pm – Registration and light refreshments

6:40 – 6:45 pm – Welcoming remarks from the co-organizers

6:45 – 7:00 pm – Opening remarks from Anna Joubin-Bret, Director of the International Trade Law Division at UNCITRAL

7:00 – 8.30pm – “Lightning” comments from stakeholders and Q&A (order of presentations listed below)

8:30 – 8:40pm – Final Q&A

8:40 – 9:00 pm – Reception

Order of comments from stakeholders:

  1. Layla Hughes – Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
  2. Colin Brown – European Commission
  3. Laurens Ankersmit – Client Earth
  4. Fabian Flues – Friends of the Earth
  5. David Gaukrodger – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
  6. Ranja Sengupta – Third World Network
  7. Kavaljit Singh – Madhyam
  8. Abdul Kadir – Consulate General of Indonesia
  9. Bart-Jaap Verbeek – SOMO
  10. Diyana Yahaya – Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development (APWLD)
  11. Frank Garcia – Boston College Law School
  12. Antonio Salvador – Trade Justice Pilipinas
  13. Melinda St. Louis – Public Citizen
  14. Shaun Donnelly – US Council for International Business
  15. Leo Gargne – Boston College Law School