Brief

Investment Facilitation: Making sense of concepts, discussions and processes

This background note provides an overview of discussions on investment at the global level in order to better understand and place the current discussions on investment facilitation. 

By Joe Zhang on July 9, 2018

Over the past few years, the topic of investment facilitation has made its way to the forefront of discussions on international investment law.

In 2014, Brazil proposed a new type of investment treaty model, moving away from a model focused on investor protection and dispute settlement to one focused on investment cooperation and facilitation. The trend was set, and in 2016 the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) published an action menu on investment facilitation, building on previous work. Other organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), have also showcased their work in this area. More recently, certain members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have advanced the idea of multilateral discussions on investment facilitation.  

This background note, prepared for the IISD Investment Law and Policy Webinar Series, provides an overview of discussions on investment at the global level in order to better understand and place the current discussions on investment facilitation. 

Brief details

Topic
Investment Law & Policy
Project
Webinars on Investment Law and Policy
Focus area
Economies
Publisher
IISD
Copyright
IISD, 2018