Text: Global experts say no to ISDS. 300+ groups around the world call on countries to start freeing themselves from secretive tribunals.
Peace Brigades International has signed this statement in advance of a conference, hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands, that will take place in Santa Marta, Colombia, from April 24 to April 29, 2026.
The statement was signed by 340+ other organizations, notably the Colectivo de Abogados y Abogadas José Alvear Restrepo (CAJAR) in Colombia; the Residencia Pacífica La Puya in Guatemala; the Red de abogadas defensoras de derechos humanos in Honduras; and the Proyecto sobre Organización, Desarrollo, Educación e Investigación (PODER) in Mexico.
The statement says in part:
“Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) threatens a just transition from fossil fuels and the urgent need for a social and ecological transformation for people and the planet. We welcome the recognition and inclusion of this risk within the thematic pillars of the First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels.
ISDS mechanisms are written into many trade and investment agreements. They entitle transnational corporations to sue governments in secretive tribunals outside of the national legal system over law and policy changes that they fear could reduce their profits. ISDS grants privileges to foreign investors that are unavailable to local businesses or ordinary citizens – especially the peoples and communities most affected by their investments.
We call on governments to begin building a coalition of governments committed to freeing themselves from all forms of ISDS.”
Stakeholder-led dialogues will take place from April 24-27, while the High-Level Segment will take place on April 28-29.
Those invited to the High-Level Segment include Ministers, representatives from sub national governments and cities, academia, the scientific community, Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities, frontline collectives, workers, and civil society organizations, among others.
We will be following this from Canada.
Additional reading
–PBI-Colombia accompanied CAJAR calls for the elimination of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms in “free trade” agreements (February 12, 2023)
–PBI-Mexico says “modernized” EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement should not be ratified (July 12, 2022)
–PBI-Guatemala accompanies groups at release of MiningWatch Canada’s Extraction Casino (July 26, 2019).
