Regional investment frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa
5
Working Group on Investment Policies and Promotion: Mitigating Risks and Seeking New Opportunities 19-20 March 2013 Strengthening regional investment frameworks Marie-Estelle Rey
Regional investment frameworks in the Middle East and North Africa
1. Working Group on Investment Policies and Promotion:
Mitigating Risks and Seeking New Opportunities 19-20 March 2013
Strengthening regional investment frameworks Marie-Estelle Rey
Senior Policy Analyst, MENA-OECD Investment Programme
2. Figure 1: Total BITs concluded by MENA countries 2
Source:MENA-OECD Investment Programme / UNCTAD / Kluwer Law
International, 2013. 51 31 7 103 6 52 59 51 32 19 62 33 2 49 24 55
38 37 24 20 1 72 1 39 37 38 16 6 43 24 1 17 19 33 28 23 0 20 40 60
80 100 120 Total signed BITs Total BITs in force
4. Main features Active BIT signatories since 1990s Few FTAs
with investment chapters Morocco-USA FTA signed in 2006 Oman-USA
FTA signed in 2009 Substantive provisions: traditional approach
Dispute Settlement: national courts and international arbitration
4
5. Regional investment agreements Arab League: 1980 Investment
Agreement 2000 Agreement on the Encouragement and Protection of
Investments and Transfer of capitals and Agreement on the
Settlement of Investment Disputes (Council of Arab Economic Unity)
2013 Amendment to the Arab Investment Agreement AMU: 1993
Convention on Encouragement and Protection of Investment OIC: 1986
Agreement on Promotion, Protection and Guarantee COMESA: 2007
Common Investment Area 5