This note by the UNCTAD secretariat was submitted as the main official background document for the Expert Meeting on Existing Agreements on Investment and Their Development Dimensions (Geneva, 28-30 May 1997). After a brief introduction explaining the purpose and focus of the Expert Meeting in the context of recent trends and initiatives in international investment agreements, the note explains the significance of bilateral investment treaties in terms of the number of treaties concluded, their widespread acceptance by countries from all regions, and their relevance as a principal source of substantive rules for the international protection of FDI. It also raises a number of issues and questions that need to be considered: Why do many countries conclude bilateral investment treaties, while others do not? What issues do these treaties cover, how are they covered and what are the main similarities and differences in this respect? How are bilateral investment treaties implemented with regard to protection and promotion? What role do they play in shaping standards of international law? What impact do bilateral investment treaties have on FDI flows and development? How can these agreements be strengthened from a development perspective? While these questions are important in themselves, they are also explored with a possible multilateral framework for investment in mind; the lessons to be learnt from a development perspective, which were focused on at the Expert Meeting, are also considered
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International Institute for Trade and Developement : UNCTAD Collection
