BILATERAL INVESTMENT TREATIES AND ARBITRATION TRAINING WORKSHOP

Category
Arusha International Conference Centre
Dates
2016-06-06 00:00 - 2016-06-10 00:00
Venue
ARUSHA - TANZANIA - Arusha, Tanzania

The African Foundation of International Law (AFIL) in close collaboration with the Government of Tanzania established the African Institute of International Law (AIIL) in Arusha, Tanzania, where there are also a number of African and UN judicial institutions that apply international law and the Public Law of African Regional Integration on a daily basis, and require a pool of skills in these important fields. The Institute is an independent, educational and research institution dedicated to the teaching, dissemination and advanced research in international law of relevance to Africa. Its establishment was endorsed by the African Union1 and welcomed by the United Nations General Assembly.

The Institute in collaboration with African Legal Support Facility (ALSF), which is committed to improving the negotiating skills of legal practitioners in the public and private sectors and policymakers in Africa to develop their skills and competencies, are organizing the second intensive one-week training workshop on “BILATERAL INVESTMENT TREATIES AND ARBITTATION” from 6 to 10 June 2016, at its Headquarters, the Arusha International Conference Centre, Arusha, Tanzania

It is a well-known fact that the vast majority of African States have signed numerous bilateral investment treaties and investment contracts with foreign investors and are parties to the International Centre for Settlement of Investments Disputes (ICSID) Convention. Of the total number of cases registered by the ICSID Secretariat in 2013 (50 cases), 26% of these cases concern African States. The large amount of arbitration cases brought against African States, in comparison to the inward flow of foreign investment shows that proportionally, African States are more often confronted with investment claims by foreign investors. The number of such disputes may grow in the next few years in parallel with the increase of the flow of foreign investment and the conclusion of new and increasingly sophisticated legal instruments, unless the expertise of African countries to deal with the issues arising from BITs is enhanced. At the same time, there currently is a manifest underrepresentation of African arbitrators, external counsel, and in-house expertise in the investment scene, and the negotiation of BITs appears to be lopsided.

OBJECTIVES

The principal objective of the workshop is to familiarize the participants with the negotiation, formulation and interpretation of bilateral investment treaties with particular emphasis on dispute resolution, valuation of damages and enforcement. The participants will acquire the knowledge of the basics of investment treaty laws, contracts and on how and when to initiate arbitration proceedings against entities that violate investment agreements. The goal is to enable the participants to learn the art of creating a harmonious business and investment climate crucial for stimulating economic activity through bilateral investment treaties and investment contracts. At the end of the training participants will be better equipped to protect and promote the economic and financial interests of their countries.

The Seminar is intended for professionals, in particular legal practitioners and government officials working in the field of international investment law, particularly those in the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Investment, and Foreign Affairs and those engaged in multilateral and bilateral negotiations. Other officials and policymakers, private legal practitioners, lawyers in the Attorney Generals Chambers, staff of legal departments in private corporations, legal secretaries, legal advisers, and arbitrators, legal scholars and judges.

 
 

All Dates

  • From 2016-06-06 00:00 to 2016-06-10 00:00
 

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