Informal Preparatory Meeting for the 41st UNCITRAL WGIII Session

This brief, informal preparatory meeting brought together developing and emerging economies to prepare for the 41st session of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group III (WGIII), which took place from November 15 to 19, 2021. 
 
WGIII is charged with reforming how disputes are settled under investment treaties—a process called investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS). As part of this process, they circulated a third Draft Code of Conduct for Adjudicators of International Investment Disputes in September, 2021.
 
The 41st session discussed the content of the code and considered how it should be implemented and enforced in practice. The preparatory meeting therefore addressed the following agenda items:

• Introductory presentation about the code, its structure, substantive provisions, and possible means of implementation and enforcement 
• Interactive discussion of the practical implications of the code 
• Identification of next steps, including possible strategies for delegations to react to the proposal. 

IISD has also published an overview and analysis of the code.

This meeting is part of a series of preparatory and debrief meetings IISD organizes related to the UNCITRAL WGIII ISDS reform process.