SOLICITAN TRANSPARENCIA Y PARTICIPACION EN CALIDAD DE AMICUS CURIAE En el caso No. ARB/03/19 ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglos de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Aguas Argentinas, S.A., Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A. y Vivendi Universal, S.A. y la República Argentina

The petition argues that the arbitration over water and sanitation services in Greater Buenos Aires involves significant public interest and fundamental human rights, necessitating a transparent process and the inclusion of civil society perspectives. The authors contend that both Argentine law and international legal trends support the admission of amicus curiae and public access to proceedings, especially given the potential conflicts of interest arising from the World Bank Group's involvement in the privatization of the services in question.

• The arbitration case involves measures adopted by the Argentine government during the 2002 economic crisis, including currency devaluation, tariff freezes, and the prohibition of indexing tariffs to US price indices, which Aguas Argentinas S.A. claims violate the 1991 Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) between Argentina and France.
• The petitioners argue that the case transcends private commercial interests because it affects the regulatory capacity of the state regarding essential public services and the access of millions of residents in Greater Buenos Aires to potable water and sanitation.
• The document asserts that the World Bank Group's institutions have a conflict of interest in the case: the IBRD influenced the regulatory framework and privatization process (recommending US dollar indexing), and the IFC was a shareholder (5.12%) and creditor of Aguas Argentinas S.A. as of December 2001.
• The petitioners claim that the ICSID tribunal has the authority to grant transparency and participation based on 'inherent powers' (jurisdicción inherente), a doctrine used by other international bodies like the ICJ and ICTY to ensure the orderly resolution of disputes.
• The request is grounded in Argentine law, specifically Articles 42 and 43 of the National Constitution and Law 24.240 (Consumer Defense), which guarantee the right of consumer associations to participate in decisions affecting public services.
• The document cites a global trend toward transparency in investment arbitration, referencing the NAFTA cases (Methanex and UPS), the WTO's acceptance of amicus curiae in cases like 'Shrimp-Turtle' and 'Asbestos', and new-generation BITs (e.g., Chile-USA, Singapore-USA) that explicitly mandate public hearings.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). SOLICITAN TRANSPARENCIA Y PARTICIPACION EN CALIDAD DE AMICUS CURIAE En el caso No. ARB/03/19 ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglos de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Aguas Argentinas, S.A., Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A. y Vivendi Universal, S.A. y la República Argentina. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SuezAmicus_27Jan05_Spanish.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. SOLICITAN TRANSPARENCIA Y PARTICIPACION EN CALIDAD DE AMICUS CURIAE En el caso No. ARB/03/19 ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglos de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Aguas Argentinas, S.A., Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A. y Vivendi Universal, S.A. y la República Argentina. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SuezAmicus_27Jan05_Spanish.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=SOLICITAN TRANSPARENCIA Y PARTICIPACION EN CALIDAD DE AMICUS CURIAE En el caso No. ARB/03/19 ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglos de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Aguas Argentinas, S.A., Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A. y Vivendi Universal, S.A. y la República Argentina |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SuezAmicus_27Jan05_Spanish.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndsolicitan, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{SOLICITAN TRANSPARENCIA Y PARTICIPACION EN CALIDAD DE AMICUS CURIAE En el caso No. ARB/03/19 ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglos de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones entre Aguas Argentinas, S.A., Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A. y Vivendi Universal, S.A. y la República Argentina}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SuezAmicus_27Jan05_Spanish.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }