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Middle East

States from the Middle East have concluded about 600 investment deals. 44 ISDS cases have been brought against Middle Eastern countries, while investors from the region have initiated 44 cases as well.

In 2013, Al-Kharafi & Sons Co., investors from Kuwait, were awarded US$935 million under the Unified Agreement for the Investment of Arab Capital in the Arab States, in a dispute over a land-leasing contract for a tourism project in Libya, making it one of the largest known awards to date. They had only invested about US$5 million but the arbitration tribunal decided that Libya also had to compensate for profits that would have been made during the 90-year leasing contract and were now lost.

Photo: President of Azerbaijan / CC BY 4.0

(April 2020)

Le groupe Al Habtoor annonce des poursuites judiciaires contre les autorités libanaises pour 1,7 milliard de dollars de pertes
Libnanews | 28-Jan-2026
Le groupe Al Habtoor, conglomérat basé aux Émirats arabes unis, a déclaré qu’il engagerait des poursuites judiciaires contre les autorités libanaises en raison d’un litige portant sur ses investissements dans le pays en crise.
finance | banking | taxes , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Lebanon
Al Habtoor Group to take legal measures against Lebanon over $1.7bn investment losses
Arab News | 27-Jan-2026
Al Habtoor Group said it will move forward with legal action against Lebanon after years of unresolved investment disputes and mounting losses of $1.7 billon linked to banking restrictions and state inaction.
finance | banking | taxes , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Lebanon
Revolución Ciudadana de Ecuador rechaza tratado con arbitraje
Prensa Latina | 15-Jan-2026
El movimiento Revolución Ciudadana de de Ecuador, exigió al Gobierno respetar el mandato popular que rechazó el arbitraje internacional y cuestionó un tratado de inversiones negociado con Emiratos Árabes Unidos (EAU) por incluir ese mecanismo. La organización recordó que en el referéndum de abril de 2024 la ciudadanía votó en contra de incluir arbitraje internacional en convenios bilaterales.
actions | resistance , Ecuador , investor-state disputes | ISDS , UAE
¿Qué dice el Acuerdo entre Emiratos Árabes Unidos y el Ecuador para la protección de inversiones?
Acción Ecológica | 15-Jan-2026
El Acuerdo habla de “protección recíproca”. El objetivo central es estimular el flujo de capital, no el bienestar social, ambiental o territorial. No se menciona a comunidades, pueblos indígenas, trabajadores ni naturaleza como sujetos de protección. El arbitraje inversionista-Estado es la arquitectura central del tratado, ignorando la función jurisdiccional del Estado. No incorpora referencias a tratados de derechos humanos. Tampoco condiciona la protección de inversiones al cumplimiento de estándares sociales o laborales.
Ecuador , investment | BITs , investor-state disputes | ISDS , UAE
Guinée: le minier émirien Axis réclame 30 milliards de dollars à l’État dans une demande d’arbitrage
RFI | 13-Jan-2026
Une société émirienne réclame près de 29 milliards de dollars aux autorités en Guinée. Suite à la révocation de son permis, l’entreprise réclame un arbitrage international. Après une procédure devant un tribunal new-yorkais, Axis passe assigne l’État guinéen devant une instance de la Banque mondiale.
Guinea , ICSID , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , UAE
UAE-based mining firm drags Guinea to World Bank tribunal over $28.9bn bauxite permit dispute
Business insider Africa | 12-Jan-2026
Axis International Ltd has filed a $28.9 billion arbitration claim against Guinea at a World Bank tribunal after the West African country revoked its permit to operate a bauxite mine earlier this year, the United Arab Emirates-based company said.
Guinea , ICSID , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , UAE
Gulf trade deal could ‘lock in’ more rights for fossil fuel industry, campaigners warn
Global Justice Now | 28-Oct-2025
UK government reported to be demanding corporate courts as a red line in deal with six Gulf countries.
climate , GCC , investor-state disputes | ISDS , UK
Canada’s Alamos exits Türkiye, sells 3 gold mines to Nurol for $470M
Türkiye Today | 17-Sep-2025
As part of the agreement, arbitration proceedings brought by Alamos’s Netherlands subsidiaries against the Republic of Türkiye under the Netherlands–Türkiye Bilateral Investment Treaty will remain suspended.
Canada , investor-state disputes | ISDS , mining , Türkiye
Israeli court refuses to enforce €20m ruling against Spanish gov’t
Globes | 5-Sep-2025
German company Sunflower cannot enforce in Israel a binding arbitration award requiring the Spanish government to pay it €18.4 million plus €1.5 million in costs.
ECT , energy , Germany , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Israel , Spain
Türkiye wins $30M arbitration case over Italian Enel’s revoked solar license
Türkiye Today | 28-Jul-2025
Türkiye has prevailed in an international arbitration case brought by Italian energy giant Enel S.p.A. over the 2022 cancellation of a pre-license for a solar power plant in the southwestern province of Isparta, the country’s energy regulator announced on Friday.
energy , investor-state disputes | ISDS , Türkiye