CARICOM Forum on International Investment Agreements (IIAs)

 

The CARICOM Forum on International Investment Agreements (IIAs) brought together investment officials from member countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to examine a series of issues related to investment law and policy, with a particular focus on reform of IIAs, including investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS). 

 

The meeting, held from September 30 to October 2, 2019, in Bridgetown, Barbados, combined a training workshop with a strategy forum. Sessions were devoted to topics such as the current legal framework governing foreign direct investment; key protections included in IIAs and how these are often drafted and interpreted; and country experiences in IIA negotiations, implementation, and dispute prevention and settlement. CARICOM countries also conducted a strategy session on IIA and ISDS reform.

 

The event was convened jointly by the CARICOM secretariat, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Commonwealth Secretariat.