UNCITRAL Process on ISDS Reform

What to expect at the upcoming working group meeting in New York.

IISD launched its Webinar Series on Investment Law and Policy with its first webinar April 17 at 9:00 a.m. ET in preparation for the meeting of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in New York.

Working Group III of UNCITRAL met in New York from April 23 to 27, 2018, to further its mandate on possible reform of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS). At the meeting, the working group continued to identify concerns regarding ISDS, consider whether reform is desirable and, if so, develop recommendations. 

The goal of our webinar was to support governments and other stakeholders in building on the UNCITRAL process to work toward an ISDS reform agenda that works for sustainable development. 

Expert presenters provided an overview of the previous meeting of the working group on this topic—held in Vienna from November 27 to December 1, 2017—and analyzed some of the submissions made and positions taken. It also provided an opportunity for participants to discuss various options for multilateral reform of ISDS and the way forward at UNCITRAL.

Expert presenters

• Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder – Group Director, Economic Law and Policy, IISD
• Robert Howse – Lloyd C. Nelson Professor of International Law, New York University School of Law

Please contact investmentlaw@iisd.org for more questions.