By Lisa Sachs, Ella Merrill, and Lise Johnson
December 9, 2019
Our planet faces unprecedented threats, including irreversible global warming, loss in biodiversity, and water pollution and water scarcity. The impacts of these environmental crises also threaten human rights and exacerbate inequality. Slowing these worsening environmental trends – and addressing the impacts of environmental change on populations – will require cumulative policy responses at the national and international level.
Date: November 21, 2019
Location: Webinar
Date: November 18, 2019, 12:10-1pm
Location: Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 102A
Legal frameworks, and how they interact, are often invisible in the day to day. Yet they are powerful forces that influence government actions and that help to shape who benefits and who loses from foreign investment. Understanding these legal frameworks, and how they interact, is critical for anyone concerned with how foreign investment can be… read more
CCSI has long advocated in its trainings and advisory work for governments to perform due diligence on prospective investors. However, little guidance exists for governments on how to decide what level of due diligence is necessary, how to perform basic checks, and when to engage with third parties. CCSI has teamed up with Kroll to help fill this information gap with this guidance document.
By Lisa Sachs
October 16, 2019
To contribute to UNCITRAL’s work on these ISDS reform, CCSI, together with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), has submitted to the UNCITRAL process four documents outlining potential reform options and considerations.
Date: September 19, 2019, 12:10-1pm
Location: Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room 546
CCSI has prepared “Securing Adequate Legal Defense in Proceedings Under International Investment Agreements: A Scoping Study” on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. This study evaluates the challenges States face in securing legal assistance in negotiations of and dispute settlement proceedings under international investment agreements, and the desirability and feasibility of… read more
By Lisa Sachs, Lise Johnson, Kaitlin Cordes, Jesse Coleman, Brooke Guven
September 6, 2019
Two-thirds of the world’s population, 5.1 billion people, lack meaningful access to justice. In many cases, injustices are frequently caused or perpetuated by business activity. Despite international obligations for states and corporations, as applicable, to provide appropriate and effective remedies, injustice persists. The Business and Human Rights Arbitration Working Group, a group of respected practicing lawyers and academics, is advancing The Hague Rules on Business and Human Rights Arbitration (the “BHR Arbitration Rules”) to help address the remedy gap. This blog discusses concerns about the draft BHR Arbitration Rules that could result in them undermining, rather than advancing, access to justice of human rights claimants.
Date: September 5 – December 5, 2019, 12:10-1pm
Location: Columbia Law School, Jerome Greene Hall, Room TBD
