Date: October 4, 2017, 12:10-1pm
Location: Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 102A

By Jesse Coleman and Kaitlin Cordes
September 21, 2017

In this blog post, Jesse Coleman and Kaitlin Cordes explore how Tanzania exemplifies the many challenges of large-scale international investment. Four companies under a bilateral investment treaty in force between Tanzania and Sweden are currently holding a claim against the country after 3,000 hectares of the land allocated for the project were recovered by the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Human Settlements Developments. The project had potential impacts on local farmers, villagers, wildlife and tourism at Saadani National Park, however, Tanzania now faces significant financial liability if they are found to have breached their obligations under the applicable IIA.

Date: September 19 – November 20, 2017, 12:10-1pm
Location: Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room – various

Comments to USTR Re: U.S.-Kenya Trade Agreement (April 28, 2020): CCSI, in response to the United States Trade Representative’s request for public comment to inform its approach to a U.S.-Kenya Trade Agreement, submitted Comments elaborating on our main points that (1) investor-state dispute settlement should not be included in any U.S.-Kenya agreement and (2) principles… read more

Date: July 31-August 10, 2017
Location: Columbia University

Date: May 11-12, 2017
Location: The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Graduate Law Centre

In March 2017, CCSI submitted comments to the ICSID Secretariat regarding proposed revisions to ICSID’s arbitration rules. CCSI’s submission provided illustrative suggestions for amendments regarding the following issues: recognizing and safeguarding of the rights and interests of non-parties; improving transparency of the dispute resolution process; promoting transparency of ownership over investments; preventing actual and apparent… read more

In this briefing note, CCSI considers the threats to principles of good governance, including government accountability, respect for the rule of law, transparency, and respect for citizens’ rights and interests under domestic law and international human rights norms, that are posed by the settlement of treaty-based investor-state disputes. The authors also consider the exacerbated threats… read more

Edited by Malan Rietveld and Perrine Toledano (Columbia University Press, May 2017). Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) can be effective tools for national resources revenue management. These state-owned investments, funded by commodity exports, foreign exchange reserves, or other national assets, are adaptable to the challenges posed by financial shocks and have been successfully employed in an increasing… read more

In March 2017 CCSI made a submission to the European Commission (EC) in response to its “Public consultation on a multilateral reform of investment dispute settlement.” CCSI’s submission consisted of a response to the form questionnaire created by the EC and a supplementary “Position Paper” to explain in greater depth CCSI’s views on the EC’s proposed… read more