Multilateral Investment Court Will Empower Corporations at Expense of People and Environment

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) criticizes the proposed Multilateral Investment Court (MIC), stating that its focus on institutional reform does not resolve the systemic issues of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). CIEL argues that the MIC would continue to elevate investor rights over human rights, labor, and environmental laws while excluding civil society and governments from bringing claims. The document advocates for a broader multilateral approach to trade and investment based on sustainability and public good, suggesting that any court should refuse jurisdiction to law-breaking investors and deny claims against public interest measures.

• The proposed Multilateral Investment Court (MIC) focuses on institutional changes to investor-state arbitration but fails to address the core problems of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), such as the lack of requirements for investors to comply with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• The MIC is designed to be an asymmetrical system that allows only international investors to bring claims against states, excluding governments, civil society, trade unions, and individual citizens from the process.
• Decisions within the MIC would be based on international arbitration law rather than domestic or international laws concerning the environment, labor, or human rights, potentially elevating corporate rights over the public interest.

APA

Hughes, L. (2017). Multilateral Investment Court Will Empower Corporations at Expense of People and Environment. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/multilateral-investment-court-will-empower-corporations-expense-people-environment/

Chicago

Hughes, Layla. Multilateral Investment Court Will Empower Corporations at Expense of People and Environment. Center for International Environmental Law, 2017. https://www.ciel.org/multilateral-investment-court-will-empower-corporations-expense-people-environment/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Hughes |first1=Layla |title=Multilateral Investment Court Will Empower Corporations at Expense of People and Environment |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=5 July 2017 |url=https://www.ciel.org/multilateral-investment-court-will-empower-corporations-expense-people-environment/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{hughes2017multilateral, author = {Hughes, Layla}, title = {{Multilateral Investment Court Will Empower Corporations at Expense of People and Environment}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2017}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/multilateral-investment-court-will-empower-corporations-expense-people-environment/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }