Investment Policy Forum Manila Tool Kit

The Manila Tool Kit offers a two-step Policy Coherence Framework designed to enhance horizontal coherence between investment governance and other policy sectors. The first step involves mapping commitments from key international instruments (such as the Paris Agreement) across policy areas like climate, health, and human rights. The second step benchmarks specific provisions in investment treaties, laws, and contracts against these commitments to identify whether they align, are neutral, or contradict international goals. The tool is intended for national and regional policy-makers and is most effective when integrated into an institutional coordination mechanism.

• The Manila Tool Kit addresses the risk of regulatory inconsistencies and litigation that can occur when investment instruments intersect with sector-specific policies such as mining, agriculture, environmental, labour, and public health regulations.
• The Policy Coherence Framework consists of a two-step process: first, mapping commitments under identified international instruments, and second, benchmarking legal instruments governing investment against those commitments.
• In the first step of the framework, governments are encouraged to prioritize international agreements they have ratified or guidance they aim to implement, with examples including the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (2011).
• The second step of the framework assesses whether specific provisions in investment treaties, laws, or contracts support, are neutral toward, or contradict the implementation of international commitments.
• The tool identifies specific risks where outdated investment treaties may restrict a state's ability to implement energy transition measures and fulfill international climate commitments, such as those under the Paris Agreement.
• To maximize effectiveness, the tool should be used within an institutional coordination framework, such as an interministerial committee, and can be preceded by the Panama Tool Kit for Institutional Coherence.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2025). Investment Policy Forum Manila Tool Kit. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/investment-policy-forum-manila-tool-kit.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Investment Policy Forum Manila Tool Kit. 2025. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/investment-policy-forum-manila-tool-kit.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Investment Policy Forum Manila Tool Kit |date=March 2025 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/investment-policy-forum-manila-tool-kit.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2025investment, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Investment Policy Forum Manila Tool Kit}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2025}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2025-03/investment-policy-forum-manila-tool-kit.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }