Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) is a secretive system of tribunals, written into trade and investment deals, which allows multinational corporations to sue governments over laws and policies which could reduce their profits. It gives corporations huge power, undermines democracy, damages human rights and blocks environmental protection and climate action.
From Thursday 15 October to Saturday 17 October, campaigners and citizens around the world will take action to inform others about ISDS and pressure governments to step away from this damaging system. This could include protests, photo actions, street stalls, lobbying of parliamentarians and ministers, public or parliamentary meetings, webinars, banner drops or other types of action.
We call on governments to begin freeing themselves from all forms of ISDS, in coalition with others, including by:
- Cancelling treaties with ISDS, or renegotiating to remove ISDS, between the governments involved, in ways that address ‘sunset clauses’
- Collective engagement with other countries to support further potential for stepping away from ISDS
- Committing to not signing any new ISDS agreements
- Including provisions on cancelling ISDS in a future Fossil Fuel Treaty
- Initiating negotiations for a multilateral treaty to bring about a world free from ISDS
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Event organisers: Stop ISDS
Image credit: Markus Spiske, unsplash