12th Annual Forum of Developing Country Investment Negotiators
The theme of the Forum was Shifting International Investment Law Toward Sustainable Development: Strategies for Renegotiation, Reform and Defence.
The 12th Annual Forum of Developing Country Investment Negotiators was held in Cartagena, Colombia, from February 27 to March 1, 2019. It was co-hosted by the Government of Colombia, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the South Centre.
The Forum is the only global platform for government officials exclusively from developing and emerging economies to share experiences and lessons learned from investment negotiations. The Forum gives negotiators and experts an opportunity to discuss emerging issues, review recent legal developments in the field and engage in peer learning with fellow negotiators.
The theme of the 2019 Forum was “Shifting International Investment Law Toward Sustainable Development: Strategies for Renegotiation, Reform and Defence.” The three-day meeting featured a series of sessions devoted to substantive and procedural reforms of investment treaties and investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS).
Participants examined trends and developments in ongoing regional and multilateral reform processes, such as the Working Group III process on multilateral ISDS reform at the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), as well as the amendment process for the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Convention. Participants also debated bilateral options such as the negotiation of new treaties and the termination and renegotiation of existing ones.
A full report on this year’s Forum is now available in English, French and Spanish. Additional background documents, including an event agenda, can also be found in the list below.
Event photos
The 12th Annual Forum of Developing Country Investment Negotiators was held in Cartagena, Colombia.
The event was co-hosted by the Government of Colombia, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the South Centre.
The Forum is the only global platform for government officials exclusively from developing and emerging economies to share experiences and lessons learned from investment negotiations.
The Forum gives negotiators and experts an opportunity to discuss emerging issues, review recent legal developments in the field and engage in peer learning with fellow negotiators.
The theme of this year’s Forum was “Shifting International Investment Law Toward Sustainable Development: Strategies for Renegotiation, Reform and Defence.”
The three-day meeting featured a series of sessions devoted to substantive and procedural reforms of investment treaties and investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS).
Upcoming events
Building Bridges: The State of Nature-Based Investments
Join us for a panel at the Building Bridges conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the state-of-play of nature-based investments and the potential opportunities they present.
The Pivotal Role of Sustainability for Ukraine’s Reconstruction
This webinar, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Ukrainian Climate Office, will discuss how to incorporate sustainability into Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction plans and share recommendations for implementation.
Stakeholder Consultation of the East African Organic Products Standard
This online event will bring together key stakeholders to review new standards, discuss regulatory requirements, and identify updates for relevant policies.
Through Her Lens: Women leading change in sustainable agriculture and market inclusion
Despite the critical role that women play in agricultural production, they still do not have equal access to global agricultural supply chains on terms that benefit them.