Reconceptualizing International Investment Law: Its role in sustainable development

This essay examines the evolution of international investment treaties since 1959, arguing that the current regime's opaque processes and vague standards pose risks to sustainable development and require a paradigm shift in purpose and rationale.

• The author contends that the original justifications for international investment treaties are no longer sufficient given the risks the current regime poses to sustainable development, which are driven by vague standards and opaque processes.
• The essay proposes that the rationale and purpose of investment treaties must be fundamentally shifted to integrate the relationship between Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and sustainable development, especially for developing countries, as a prerequisite for effective reform.

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} }