The world is girdled by a dense network of international investment agreements (IIAs). IIAs are not well-designed to promote investment, much less to contribute to sustainable development. Existing IIAs contain mainly broadly-worded investor protection provisions enforceable through...

The proliferation of International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and treaty-based investment arbitration has raised concerns over the extent to which IIAs are actually fair and are able to balance the interests of foreign investors and States. The strong protections afforded by IIAs to investors...

This paper provides a brief overview of recent UNCTAD research on the nexus between international investment treaties and sustainable development. After sketching the historic evolution and current trends in IIA treaty practice, it explores the linkages between IIAs and three areas of public...

In this book chapter, Mayeda reviews how developing countries can use international investment agreements (IIAs) to promote their sustainable development policies. He first identifies some of the deficiencies of existing models, and then suggests new provisions that developing countries should...

Over the past decade, the global adoption of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) screening mechanisms (ISMs) has surged, reflecting developed countries' policies aiming at restricting FDI on the grounds of broadly defined 'security' or 'national' interests. Recent geopolitical and economic crises...