The Integration of Non-investment Concerns as an Opportunity for the Modernization of International Investment Law: Is a Multilateral Approach Desirable?

International organizations belonging to the United Nations (UN) system which deal with economic cooperation and development tend to promote the protection of non-economic concerns within their actions for good governance and development. Non-economic concerns which are taken into consideration are sustainable and human development, the protection of human rights and of the environment, as well as the control of the production and sale of harmful substances. Integration seems to be one of the more appropriate tools to achieve a balance between the protection of economic and non-economic concerns. These trends are influencing current international investment law, as one debated issue is how to combine private interests, those of the investors, and public ones, those of the host States. The essay aims to identify the relevant trends in international investment law to find whether, and in case how, integration is pursued.