Reconceptualizing International Investment Law: Its role in sustainable development

The document examines the evolution of international investment treaties since 1959, arguing that the original rationales for these treaties no longer justify a regime that poses risks to sustainable development through vague standards and opaque processes. The author contends that a paradigm shift is necessary to align foreign direct investment with sustainable development, particularly for developing countries, as a prerequisite for effective reform.

• The current international investment treaty regime poses risks to sustainable development due to its use of vague standards and opaque processes, meaning the original justifications for these treaties are no longer sufficient.
• To address the fundamental problems of the regime within the context of globalization, a paradigm shift is required to ensure the purpose of treaties encompasses the critical link between foreign direct investment (FDI) and sustainable development, with a specific focus on developing countries.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2013). Reconceptualizing International Investment Law: Its role in sustainable development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/reconceptualizing-international-investment-law-its-role-sustainable

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Reconceptualizing International Investment Law: Its role in sustainable development. 2013. https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/reconceptualizing-international-investment-law-its-role-sustainable.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Reconceptualizing International Investment Law: Its role in sustainable development |date=22 May 2013 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/reconceptualizing-international-investment-law-its-role-sustainable |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2013reconceptualizing, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Reconceptualizing International Investment Law: Its role in sustainable development}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/policy-analysis/reconceptualizing-international-investment-law-its-role-sustainable}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }