The resource contains visual summaries to help break down the controversial Investor–State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism built into many trade and investment agreements.
As the UN climate conference began in Belem, Brazil last week, an official UN report explicitly called out Investor-State Dispute Settlement in trade agreements as a systemic barrier to financing climate action in developing countries.
The YPF case exposes the inconsistencies of the international investment protection system, which enables large corporations to engage in predatory practices, creating severe macroeconomic problems for Argentina.
Civil society groups are calling on the Government to leave the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and reject ISDS, as a new threat emerges over the government’s refusal to grant an exploration licence to an oil and gas company.
For over 20 years, Argentina had the world’s highest number of investor claims before international arbitration tribunals. It also has the highest number of bilateral investment treaties in force in Latin America and the Caribbean.