Enhancing institutional capacity on international investment dispute settlements in Malaysia

 “I gained exposure on recent models and different approaches taken by host states on investor-state dispute settlement, which is useful to facilitate my understanding in making evaluations before providing recommendations on positions to be taken on current or future investment guarantee agreements (IGAs) or free trade agreements (FTAs),” said Ms. Salizan Abdul Aziz, Principal Assistant Director for Investment Policy and Trade Facilitation from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Malaysia.
She recently participated in a virtual capacity building workshop on international investment dispute settlements for representatives of the Malaysian public and private sectors.

60 participants including 46 women participated in the first of a three part series of online training sessions to build capacity of policymakers, legal practitioners and economic actors for utilizing various options available to countries to set up mechanisms for the resolution of international investment disputes.
The training session organized by the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, provided an introduction on the investor-state dispute settlement system, including specific obligations enshrined in international investment agreements such as bilateral investment treaties and FTAs.

Discussions focused on legal disciplines such as expropriation, fair and equitable treatment, and full protection and security. The online training was delivered by ITC Consultant and Expert on international trade and investment law, Professor Dr Federico Ortino, and will set the stage for subsequent training sessions over the next few months.

This series of trainings contributes to Malaysia’s strengthened institutional capacity to formulate and implement trade policy aligned with regional and international commitments, in order to enhance the country’s sustainable business and investment environment.

Training sessions will continue in September 2021.

About the project

The ARISE Plus Malaysia project supports inclusive and sustainable economic growth in the country through enhancing sustainable business and investment environments, improving product quality and competitiveness, as well as enhancing sustainable and internationally quality-compliant practices in the agri-food sector.

The three-year project is funded by the European Union and is a part of its national and regional ARISE Plus projects to support greater connectivity and economic integration in ASEAN.

The project is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.