The Protection of Individual and Collective Rights in Investment Treaty Arbitration

June 17, 2014 Investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) plays a controversial role when it comes to the protection of rights. Questions have been raised about the ability of ISDS to safeguard individual interests, particularly human rights. The effect of ISDS on sustainable development, including the protection of collective rights (such as environmental and labor standards, and consumer protection), has also come to the fore as a crucial sticking point in the negotiations over the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). This panel will look at both sides of the debate over the use of ISDS mechanisms, grappling with some of the difficult questions that the growth of ISDS poses.