{"id":381,"date":"2021-12-20T11:07:05","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T11:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kryvoi.net\/blog\/?p=381"},"modified":"2022-01-24T10:27:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T10:27:56","slug":"taking-stock-of-work-of-the-expert-group-meeting-on-corruption-and-international-investments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kryvoi.net\/blog\/taking-stock-of-work-of-the-expert-group-meeting-on-corruption-and-international-investments\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert Group Meeting on Corruption and International Investments – Key Findings Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

On 16 December 2021, I had a privilege of co-chairing with Vladimir Kozin (UNODC) an event featuring key recommendations of the forthcoming report on corruption and foreign direct investments and corruption and investor-state dispute settlement.<\/p>\n

This post summarises key developments, which led to these findings and the document itself.<\/p>\n

Resolution 8\/9 (2019) of State Parties to The United Nations Convention Against Corruption<\/h2>\n
\n
\n

With over 180 State parties, the United Nations Convention against Corruption remains one of the world’s most ratified and the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. However, the Convention’s practical applicability in the context of international investment agreements and investor-State disputes so far has been limited.<\/p>\n

The side event in December 2019 of State Parties to The United Nations Convention Against Corruption brought together representatives of States, international organisations, practitioners and scholars to discuss the apparent disconnect between the international regulatory framework on corruption, international investment agreements and the practice of investor-State arbitration. You can read my separate blog post on the Abu Dhabi event here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"UNODC-Corruption-Panel-2\"<\/a>
Side event of the 2019 Conference of State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Abu Dhabi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Resolution 8\/9 adopted in 2019 by Conference of the State Parties to The United Nations Convention Against Corruption in Abu Dhabi noted<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

the positive role of international investments and the importance of minimizing opportunities for corruption and transfer of proceeds of crime in this context.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Conference requested the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (\u201cUNODC\u201d) to consider organizing an expert meeting<\/p>\n

to discuss the issues of the existence and the extent of corruption and the transfer of proceeds of crime in the context of international investments, with a view to raising awareness of existing issues in this area and promoting the implementation, if appropriate, of relevant provisions of UNCAC and other international instruments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n
\n
\n

Virtual Expert Group Meeting on the Draft UNODC Study on Corruption in the Context of Investor- State Dispute<\/h2>\n

In line with the Resolution 8\/9, on 12 November 2021, UNODC conducted a Virtual Expert Group Meeting on the Draft UNODC Study on Corruption in the Context of Investor- State Dispute, which featured presentations of David Gaukrodger (OECD), Vincent Beyer (UNCTAD), Jae Sung Lee (UNCITRAL), Aloysius Llamzon (King & Spalding), Professor Mark Pieth (University of Basel) and Professor Xiumei Wang (Beijing Normal University).<\/p>\n

The experts shared their views and provided feedback on drafting empirical report devoted to corruption in investor-state disputes. Other experts, who provided written or oral feedback on the draft included Prof Vaughan Lowe (Oxford University), Oscar Solorzano (Basel Institute on Governance), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye (Lagos State University), Lucinda Low (Steptoe & Johnson), Hamed El Kady (UNCTAD) and Paul Jean Le Cannu (ICSID).<\/p>\n