INFORME JURÍDICO SOBRE LA DECISIÓN DEL TRIBUNAL ARBITRAL DE NEGAR LA PRESENTACIÓN DE UN AMICUS POR TERCEROS INTERESADOS EN EL CASO ODYSSEY MARINE EXPLORATION, INC. C. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS

The report examines the denial of amicus curiae status to CIEL and the Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale in the ICSID case UNCT/20/1, which concerns the Don Diego deep-sea mining project in Mexico. The author argues that the tribunal's majority decision ignored significant public interests, including environmental risks to the Gulf of Ulloa and the human rights of local fishers. By relying on discretionary power rather than an obligation to recognize public interest, the report contends that the tribunal undermined the legitimacy of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system and failed to integrate international environmental and human rights law into the proceedings.

• The arbitral tribunal in the case of Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. v. Mexico (ICSID Case No. UNCT/20/1) denied a request from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Sociedad Cooperativa de Producción Pesquera Puerto Chale to participate as amicus curiae.
• The tribunal's majority reasoned that the applicants lacked a significant interest in the arbitration and would not provide a perspective or knowledge different from the contending parties.
• Arbitrator Professor Philippe Sands dissented from the majority, stating that the unique perspective of the affected community would have been valuable and that the decision to exclude them undermines the procedure's legitimacy.
• The Don Diego project, the subject of the dispute, is identified as being of public interest because it is incompatible with fishing refuge and concession zones, threatens regional biodiversity, and potentially violates human rights including the rights to health, work, and a healthy environment.
• The report argues that the current ISDS system relies on the 'discretionary power to authorize' rather than an 'obligation to recognize' public interest representation, which allows tribunals to dismiss public concerns without adequate reasoning.
• The report highlights a broader international movement against deep-sea mining, noting a September 2021 IUCN World Conservation Congress motion for a moratorium and a statement by 622 marine science and policy experts from over 44 countries calling for a pause.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). INFORME JURÍDICO SOBRE LA DECISIÓN DEL TRIBUNAL ARBITRAL DE NEGAR LA PRESENTACIÓN DE UN AMICUS POR TERCEROS INTERESADOS EN EL CASO ODYSSEY MARINE EXPLORATION, INC. C. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Informe-jurídico-sobre-la-decisión-del-Tribunal-Arbitral-de-negar-la-presentación-de-un-amicus-por-terceros-interesados-en-el-caso-Odyssey-Marine-Exploration-Inc-c-Los-Estados-Unidos-Mexicanos.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. INFORME JURÍDICO SOBRE LA DECISIÓN DEL TRIBUNAL ARBITRAL DE NEGAR LA PRESENTACIÓN DE UN AMICUS POR TERCEROS INTERESADOS EN EL CASO ODYSSEY MARINE EXPLORATION, INC. C. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS. 2022. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Informe-jurídico-sobre-la-decisión-del-Tribunal-Arbitral-de-negar-la-presentación-de-un-amicus-por-terceros-interesados-en-el-caso-Odyssey-Marine-Exploration-Inc-c-Los-Estados-Unidos-Mexicanos.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=INFORME JURÍDICO SOBRE LA DECISIÓN DEL TRIBUNAL ARBITRAL DE NEGAR LA PRESENTACIÓN DE UN AMICUS POR TERCEROS INTERESADOS EN EL CASO ODYSSEY MARINE EXPLORATION, INC. C. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS |date=February 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Informe-jurídico-sobre-la-decisión-del-Tribunal-Arbitral-de-negar-la-presentación-de-un-amicus-por-terceros-interesados-en-el-caso-Odyssey-Marine-Exploration-Inc-c-Los-Estados-Unidos-Mexicanos.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022informe, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{INFORME JURÍDICO SOBRE LA DECISIÓN DEL TRIBUNAL ARBITRAL DE NEGAR LA PRESENTACIÓN DE UN AMICUS POR TERCEROS INTERESADOS EN EL CASO ODYSSEY MARINE EXPLORATION, INC. C. LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Informe-jurídico-sobre-la-decisión-del-Tribunal-Arbitral-de-negar-la-presentación-de-un-amicus-por-terceros-interesados-en-el-caso-Odyssey-Marine-Exploration-Inc-c-Los-Estados-Unidos-Mexicanos.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }