Investment Treaties in Singapore: Lessons about the design of the investment regime

Do host countries benefit from investment treaties? Despite extensive research, the economic benefits of signing investment treaties remain unconfirmed.

Some proponents claim that investment treaties may improve governance at a national level. But to what extent can investment treaties really lead to good governance? To what extent are policy-makers and bureaucrats aware of investment treaties in practice? Do they take them into account?

This latest session of the UNIGE-IISD Speaker Series on Investment Disputes will look into Singapore’s experience with these treaties. With its highly efficient bureaucracy, manageable size and strong commitment to the respect of international law, the city-state highlights the potential challenges that investment treaties can pose, even in the best of governance conditions. The session is based on preliminary outcomes of a broader ongoing study on investment treaties and national governance in Asia at the Centre for International Law at the National University of Singapore.

Further details, including an event flyer, will be available shortly. Please note that registration is required and can be completed using this form. The event will be held at the University of Geneva's Uni Mail campus, room M5189, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. CEST. The building address is 40 Boulevard du Pont d'Arve, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland.

Speaker: Dr. Dafina Atanasova is a lecturer at the Geneva LLM in international dispute settlement (MIDS), where she teaches international commercial and investment arbitration, while carrying out research as part of the Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS). Prior to joining the MIDS, Dr. Atanasova was a research fellow at the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. 

For further information, contact Joe Zhang at jzhang@iisd.org.