National Training Workshop on Cameroon's Investment Treaties – Phase 2

From November 22 to 24, 2022, IISD, in cooperation with the Commonwealth Secretariat, organized the second phase of its national training on investment treaties on behalf of the government of Cameroon. The 3-day training was held in Yaoundé, Cameroon and followed an earlier meeting held in hybrid format on July 8, 2021.  

The second phase included training sessions and interactive sessions on the following topics:  

• Recap of the content of the first phase of the training 
• The scope of investment treaties with a particular focus on the definition of "investor" and "investment" 
• The key substantive investment protection standards in investment treaties
• Characteristics of treaty-based investor-state dispute settlement ("ISDS") and how it differs from contract- and law-based ISDS  
• Overview of the principal processes for the reform of the international investment regime 
• Update on the process for a multilateral reform of investor–state dispute settlement at UNCITRAL Working Group III 
• Update on the process of negotiating the African Continental Free Trade Area Investment Protocol 
• Sharing experience on Cameroonian approach to the negotiation of bilateral investment treaties 
• Best practices and reform options in the negotiation of bilateral investment treaties 

On the third day of the training, participants agreed on a roadmap for the reform of Cameroon's investment treaties.  

The second phase meeting was attended by a group of 35 officials from a range of ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Relations; the Ministry of Mines, Industry, and Technological Development; the Ministry for the Economy, Planning and Land Development; the Ministry of Justice; the Ministry of Water and Energy; and the Ministry of Finance. Participants also included representatives from the Cameroonian Investment Promotion Agency, the national Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Cameroonian Investment Fund.