L’Initiative conjointe sur la facilitation de l’investissement : éléments nouveaux depuis 2020 et feuille de route en vue de la CM12

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and CUTS International tracks the progress of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation from 2020 to early 2021. It details the transition from structured discussions to formal negotiations, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on investment flows and governance, and the roadmap leading toward the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).

• The Joint Statement Initiative on Investment Facilitation grew from 70 original signatories in 2017 to 100 members by early 2020, eventually reaching 106 signatories as of February 15, 2021.
• The COVID-19 pandemic caused a significant drop in foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and led to an increase in national investment restrictions; approximately 43% of new investment policy measures in 2020 included regulations or restrictions, many of which were pandemic-related.
• The process transitioned from 'structured discussions' to a 'negotiation mode' in September 2020, moving away from informal thematic discussions toward making concessions on the final form and content of the framework.
• The proposed framework is designed to improve transparency, simplify administrative procedures, and strengthen international cooperation, while explicitly excluding market access, investment protection, and investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS).
• Negotiators are working toward a 'Easter text' in 2021, which will consolidate revised project texts and member proposals to serve as the primary drafting base for a future agreement in view of the MC12.
• A critical point of negotiation involves creating a 'firewall' provision to isolate the investment facilitation framework from the system of International Investment Agreements (IIAs), to avoid impacting the interpretation of treaty-based investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) claims.

APA

Baliño, S., Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N., & Campos, S. L. (2021). L’Initiative conjointe sur la facilitation de l’investissement : éléments nouveaux depuis 2020 et feuille de route en vue de la CM12. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/joint-initiative-investment-facilitation-fr.pdf

Chicago

Baliño, Sofía, Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, and Soledad Leal Campos. L’Initiative conjointe sur la facilitation de l’investissement : éléments nouveaux depuis 2020 et feuille de route en vue de la CM12. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/joint-initiative-investment-facilitation-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baliño |first1=Sofía |last2=Bernasconi-Osterwalder |first2=Nathalie |last3=Campos |first3=Soledad Leal |title=L’Initiative conjointe sur la facilitation de l’investissement : éléments nouveaux depuis 2020 et feuille de route en vue de la CM12 |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/joint-initiative-investment-facilitation-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{balio2021linitiative, author = {Baliño, Sofía and Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Nathalie and Campos, Soledad Leal}, title = {{L’Initiative conjointe sur la facilitation de l’investissement : éléments nouveaux depuis 2020 et feuille de route en vue de la CM12}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-06/joint-initiative-investment-facilitation-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }