On 4 February, 12:00-15:00 (CET), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will be organising a webinar on international investment agreements and climate action.
This event will bring together experts and stakeholders from government, international organisations, civil society and academia to discuss the reform of the international investment agreements (IIAs) regime for climate change goals.
The objective is to share views, experiences and practices on how to ensure that the IIA regime does not hinder governments from implementing measures to mitigate climate change and accelerate a transition towards green investments.
It will also explore solutions for making existing and future IIAs more conducive to investments that have a positive contribution on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Provisional agenda
Welcoming remarks: UNCTAD/IIED (5 minutes)
James Zhan, director, Investment and Enterprise Division, UNCTAD
Andrew Norton, director, IIED
Session 1: Accelerating IIA reform for climate action (40 minutes)
Moderator: Clare Shakya, director, Climate Change research group, IIED
Hamed El-Kady, Coordinator, International Investment Agreements Sections/Josef Ostransky, Consultant, UNCTAD
Martin Dietrich Brauch, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), Lorenzo Cotula/Thierry Berger (IIED) and Suzy Nikièma, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Surya Deva, chair, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and professor, Macquarie Law School, Australia
Session 2: Sharing of experiences on IIA reform (80 minutes)
Moderator: Hamed El-Kady, UNCTAD
Kekeletso Lorraine Mashigo, director, legal, international trade, investment, dispute settlement, Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, South Africa
Roslyn Ng’eno, senior investment expert, African Union Commission (TBC)
Patience Okala, director, legal services, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Nigeria
Chantal Ononaiwu, trade policy and legal specialist, Office of Trade Negotiations, CARICOM Secretariat
Dorieke Overduin, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Netherlands
Mohamed Abdel Gawad, Minister Plenipotentiary (Commercial), head of sector, multilateral cooperation with UN and IFIs, Ministry of International Cooperation, Egypt
David Gaukrodger, senior legal advisor, OECD
Session 3: Solutions for the way forward (60 minutes)
Moderator: Lisa Sachs, director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI)
Olabisi D. Akinkugbe, assistant professor, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, co-founding editor, Afronomicslaw
Azar Aliyev, associate professor for International Economic Law and Comparative Law, Martin Luther University of Halle Wittenberg
Amnon Lehavi, professor, Harry Radzyner Law School (Reichman University), former co-president, Law School Global League
Alicia Nicholls, research fellow, Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services, The University of the West Indies
Nicolás M. Perrone, research associate, Professor of International Law, Andrés Bello National University
Tara Van Ho, senior lecturer, School of Law and Human Rights Centre, co-director, Essex Business and Human Rights Project, co-president, Global Business and Human Rights Scholars Association, Essex Law School
Closing remarks (5 minutes)
Hamed El Kady, UNCTAD, and Lorenzo Cotula, IIED
Co-organizer(s):
International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Please register here.