The importance of the widespread reliance upon direct arbitration, particularly arbitration under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and of the practice of “arbitration without privity” is at the root of the search for a definition of investment, as underlined by the 2013 Resolution of the Institut de droit international (IDI). The Resolution refers to a development-friendly definition of investment. This article aims to explain to what extent a definition based upon references to sustainable development would constitute an acceptable specification, albeit a partial one, of the term “development” used in the IDI Resolution, in light of the need of a reconciliation between private and public interests within current international investment law. The article also deals with the issue of whether the ICSID Convention provides for an autonomous definition of investment that cannot be overridden by the terms of a given international investment treaty, and if so, which criteria should be taken into consideration for the purposes of determining whether an investment exists within the meaning of Article 25(1) of the ICSID Convention
The Unexpected Development-friendly Definition of Investment in the 2013 IDI Resolution
ACCONCI, Pia
2013-01-01
Abstract
The importance of the widespread reliance upon direct arbitration, particularly arbitration under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and of the practice of “arbitration without privity” is at the root of the search for a definition of investment, as underlined by the 2013 Resolution of the Institut de droit international (IDI). The Resolution refers to a development-friendly definition of investment. This article aims to explain to what extent a definition based upon references to sustainable development would constitute an acceptable specification, albeit a partial one, of the term “development” used in the IDI Resolution, in light of the need of a reconciliation between private and public interests within current international investment law. The article also deals with the issue of whether the ICSID Convention provides for an autonomous definition of investment that cannot be overridden by the terms of a given international investment treaty, and if so, which criteria should be taken into consideration for the purposes of determining whether an investment exists within the meaning of Article 25(1) of the ICSID ConventionI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.