About this session
Climate change is among the most pressing global challenges of our time. Rising to this challenge will require significant changes in the international legal architecture for the promotion and protection of investment. The reform of the international investment agreements (IIA) regime is essential to create the necessary policy space for states to take climate action, to minimize the risk of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) claims related to climate change policies, and to introduce climate responsive clauses aimed at encouraging sustainable investment.
Session themes:
- Making investment policy and IIAs consistent with national, regional, and global climate commitments
- Ensuring that IIA commitments safeguard the right of states to regulate in the public interest
- Enhancing the effectiveness of environmental clauses in IIAs, investor obligations and responsibilities
- Strengthening regional and global forums for continued dialogue and coordination on comprehensive IIA reform
Speakers
Prof. Makane Moïse Mbengue
Professor of International Law, Director of the Department of International Law and International Organization, University of Geneva
Mr. James X. Zhan
Director, Division on Investment and Enterprise, UNCTAD and Lead, UNCTAD World Investment Forum
Mr. Philip Fox-Drummond Gough
Director of the Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Trade in Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federative Republic of Brazil
Ms. Maria Paula Arenas Quijano
Director of Foreign Investment and Services, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Republic of Colombia
Mr. Hossam Heiba
President, General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Arab Republic of Egypt
Ms. Eun Young Nam
Deputy Director, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea
Ms. Aminata Traore Cissé
Permanent Secretary, Higher Council for the Private Sector, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Republic of Mali
Ms. Angela Pretorius
Deputy Director, Ministry of Industrialization and Trade, Republic of Namibia
Ms. Patience Okala
Director, Legal Services, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC)
Mr. Abdullah Alomair
Executive Director, International Partnership, Ministry of Investment, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
H.E. Mr. Juma Mohammed Al Kait
Assistant Undersecretary for International Trade, Ministry of Economy, United Arab Emirates
Ms. Emily Mburu-Ndoria
Director, Directorate of Trade in Services, Investment, Intellectual Property Rights and Digital Trade, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat
Mr. Tai Hiong Tan
Head of Services and Investment Division, ASEAN Secretariat
Ms. Chantal Ononaiwu
Director, External Trade, Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) Secretariat
Mr. Lorenzo Cotula
Head of Law, Economies and Justice Programme, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Mr. Mohammad Usman Piracha
Chairperson, ISDS Reform Negotiations (OIC)
Mr. N. Jansen Calamita
Head of Investment Law and Policy, Centre for International Law and Research Associate Professor (CIL), Faculty of Law, National University of Singapore
Ms. Ana Novik
Head of the Investment Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Dr. Juri Suehrer
Director, Trade and Investment, PwC Middle East
Mr. Jae Sung Lee
Senior Legal Officer, UNCITRAL Secretariat, Secretary of Working Group III, International Trade Law Division, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations
Mr. Hamed El Kady
Senior Coordinator, International Investment Agreements Section, UNCTAD