Informante AII Guía para Parlamentarios sobre los acuerdos internacionales de inversión y sus implicancias en la creación de políticas internas

This 2007 guide for parliamentarians examines how International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) can constrain domestic public policy. It highlights a systemic lack of parliamentary oversight in treaty negotiation and the use of international arbitration by foreign investors to challenge state regulations in countries like the US, Canada, and South Africa. The document details specific legal disputes, Bolivia's withdrawal from ICSID, and calls for greater transparency in UNCITRAL arbitration rules to protect human rights and state sovereignty.

• International Investment Agreements (IIAs) are frequently negotiated with minimal parliamentary oversight or public scrutiny, often handled by a small group of technical officials. This lack of transparency can lead to binding international commitments that negatively impact public policies at local, state, and national levels.
• Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) provide foreign investors with legal protections and access to international arbitration that are not available to local investors, who must use domestic courts. This creates a disparity where foreign entities can challenge government actions—including tax and environmental laws—before unaccountable international tribunals.
• In the United States, state legislators from Washington and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) argue that IIAs, such as Chapter 11 of NAFTA, undermine state sovereignty and federalism. They contend that these agreements allow foreign corporations to bypass state judicial systems and receive more favorable procedural rights than domestic investors.
• Foreign investors have used IIAs to challenge social and environmental policies in various countries. Examples include mining companies suing South Africa over Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies that favor historically disadvantaged persons, and Glamis Gold Ltd. suing the US over California's open-pit mine reclamation requirements intended to protect Native American sacred sites.
• Bolivia formally notified the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of its withdrawal in 2007. The Bolivian government, under President Evo Morales, viewed international arbitration as an illegitimate restriction on the will of the electorate and criticized the center for favoring investors.
• There are ongoing concerns and legal challenges regarding the constitutionality of IIAs. In Canada, the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario rejected claims that NAFTA's investor-state process was unconstitutional, ruling that international arbitrators deal with international law, which is distinct from domestic law.
• The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) are advocating for greater transparency in UNCITRAL arbitration rules. They argue that the current rules allow for confidential multi-million dollar lawsuits against governments without public disclosure.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2007). Informante AII Guía para Parlamentarios sobre los acuerdos internacionales de inversión y sus implicancias en la creación de políticas internas. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iia_insighter_issue_2_es.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Informante AII Guía para Parlamentarios sobre los acuerdos internacionales de inversión y sus implicancias en la creación de políticas internas. 2007. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iia_insighter_issue_2_es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Informante AII Guía para Parlamentarios sobre los acuerdos internacionales de inversión y sus implicancias en la creación de políticas internas |date=September 2007 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iia_insighter_issue_2_es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2007informante, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Informante AII Guía para Parlamentarios sobre los acuerdos internacionales de inversión y sus implicancias en la creación de políticas internas}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2007}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iia_insighter_issue_2_es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }