APEC Seeks to Resolve Disputes with Investors

What:
Investment experts from across the APEC region convened in Santiago to discuss strategies on strengthening the investment climate. Amongst the issues addressed: preventing and resolving disputes with investors by ensuring transparency and scrutiny of policy and decision making processes; incorporating gender issues in investment policy; and the hundreds of outdated treaties – out of more than 3,300 in total – that, if ratified, should be revised or reconsidered altogether.

The APEC forum allows economies to share their diverse experiences and initiatives, and learn from each other. Soon the working group will also have a handbook for managing investment commitments, prepared with non-specialists in mind. This is expected to help governments better manage investment disputes.

Why:
Investment is a leading driver of economic growth and the APEC region relies on it to remain resilient against global economic shocks. In 2018, East Asia and Southeast Asia comprised one-third of global foreign direct investment. In Australia, 1 in 10 jobs is directly supported by investment. Investment is an over-arching issue, integral to the region’s growth trajectory and complementary to all the priorities of APEC 2019. Harmonization of now-fragmented investment regimes, say some economies, can improve regulatory certainty that is essential to investor confidence.  

Takeaways:
“Coherence of policies always help to attract and retain investment. I’m optimistic, as investment is a cross-cutting issue that will help implement the priorities that Chile has set for 2019.” – Tania Pierotic Mendia, Chair, Investment Experts’ Group, APEC Chile 2019

For more:

The complete APEC SOM1 and Related Meetings schedule in Santiago from 23 February to 8 March can be viewed here.

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For further details, please contact:

Dini Sari Djalal (in Santiago) +65 9137 3886 at [email protected]
Michael Chapnick +65 9647 4847 at [email protected]

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