Bringing community perspectives to investor-state arbitration: the Pac Rim case

The document examines how La Mesa, a Salvadoran coalition, used amicus curiae submissions in the Pac Rim arbitration to bring community concerns regarding metals mining and sustainable development to an international tribunal. It highlights the importance of alliance building between local groups and international legal experts to navigate technical arbitration processes and argues that such interventions provide essential public interest context that disputing parties may omit.

• Civil society organisations (CSOs) can influence investor-state arbitration by filing amicus curiae submissions, provided they demonstrate the dispute is suitable for public interest intervention, the CSO is suitable to represent that interest, and the intervention is desirable to the tribunal.
• In the Pac Rim case, the coalition La Mesa successfully used a CSO submission to challenge the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal, arguing that Pac Rim's relocation to Nevada was an 'abuse of process' and that the company was a 'shell corporation' lacking substantial business activities in the US.
• The arbitral tribunal in the Pac Rim case partially limited its jurisdiction, deciding it had no jurisdiction over claims made under the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), though claims under El Salvador's Investment Law could proceed.
• Effective CSO engagement in technical arbitration requires strategic alliances between grassroots community groups, who provide local evidence and legitimacy, and international legal experts who can 'speak the language of the law'.
• The document notes a significant imbalance in the international legal order, where protections for foreign investors are stronger than the safeguards for the fundamental rights of communities.

APA

Orellana, M. A., Baños, S., & Berger, T. (2015). Bringing community perspectives to investor-state arbitration: the Pac Rim case. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015.pdf

Chicago

Orellana, Marcos A., Saúl Baños, and Thierry Berger. Bringing community perspectives to investor-state arbitration: the Pac Rim case. Center for International Environmental Law, 2015. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orellana |first1=Marcos A. |last2=Baños |first2=Saúl |last3=Berger |first3=Thierry |title=Bringing community perspectives to investor-state arbitration: the Pac Rim case |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=June 2015 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orellana2015bringing, author = {Orellana, Marcos A. and Baños, Saúl and Berger, Thierry}, title = {{Bringing community perspectives to investor-state arbitration: the Pac Rim case}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }