Llevar las perspectivas de la comunidad al arbitraje entre inversionistas y Estados: el caso Pac Rim

This report analyzes the use of amicus curiae briefs by civil society organizations (CSOs) to introduce community perspectives into investor-state arbitration, focusing on the case of Pac Rim Cayman LLC vs. the Republic of El Salvador. It details how the Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica de El Salvador (La Mesa), supported by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Fundación de Estudios para la Aplicación del Derecho (FESPAD), used legal tools to challenge the jurisdiction of the arbitration tribunal and highlight the democratic debate over metallic mining and sustainable development in El Salvador.

• The Mesa Nacional Frente a la Minería Metálica de El Salvador (La Mesa) successfully used amicus curiae briefs to bring community perspectives to the Pac Rim arbitration, shifting the tribunal's focus toward the "debate democrático que hay en curso en El Salvador con relación a la minería metálica y el desarrollo sostenible".
• In the jurisdictional phase of the Pac Rim case, the arbitration tribunal decided it lacked jurisdiction over claims made under the CAFTA-DR treaty, although claims under El Salvador's Investment Law were allowed to proceed to the merits phase. The report notes that La Mesa's submissions contributed to this "limitación parcial de la jurisdicción".
• La Mesa challenged the jurisdiction of the tribunal by arguing that Pac Rim's relocation from the Cayman Islands to Nevada, USA, was an "abuso del proceso" intended to access CAFTA-DR protections despite having "insustanciales" business activities in the United States.
• The report identifies three general conditions typically required for a tribunal to grant permission for amicus curiae briefs: the dispute must be suitable for public interest intervention (e.g., involving human rights or environment), the CSO must be fit to represent those interests, and the intervention must be deemed desirable by the tribunal.
• The effectiveness of La Mesa's intervention relied on a multi-level alliance: local communities provided ground-level evidence, La Mesa coordinated national lobbying, and international partners like CIEL provided technical expertise in international law and arbitration.
• The report highlights a severe environment of violence against environmental defenders in El Salvador, noting a "sistemático patrón de ataques" that included the murder of four activists in 2009.
• The authors conclude that there is a significant imbalance in international law, where protections for foreign investors are far stronger than the safeguards provided for the fundamental rights of communities.

APA

Orellana, M. A., Baños, S., & Berger, T. (2015). Llevar las perspectivas de la comunidad al arbitraje entre inversionistas y Estados: el caso Pac Rim. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015_SPA.pdf

Chicago

Orellana, Marcos A., Saúl Baños, and Thierry Berger. Llevar las perspectivas de la comunidad al arbitraje entre inversionistas y Estados: el caso Pac Rim. Center for International Environmental Law, 2015. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015_SPA.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orellana |first1=Marcos A. |last2=Baños |first2=Saúl |last3=Berger |first3=Thierry |title=Llevar las perspectivas de la comunidad al arbitraje entre inversionistas y Estados: el caso Pac Rim |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=June 2015 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015_SPA.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orellana2015llevar, author = {Orellana, Marcos A. and Baños, Saúl and Berger, Thierry}, title = {{Llevar las perspectivas de la comunidad al arbitraje entre inversionistas y Estados: el caso Pac Rim}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2015}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Community_Amici_ICSID_IIED_Jul2015_SPA.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }