Workshop on Sustainable Investment for Government Officials in Malawi

IISD will be conducting a 3-day in-person training workshop on agricultural investor–state contracts and international investment agreements between February 28 and March 2, 2023, in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The main objective of the workshop is to enhance government officials' understanding and awareness of:

• The relationship between international investment agreements (IIAs), investment contracts, and investment laws and their role in attracting sustainable investment in Malawi. 
• Selected clauses in investment treaties and investment contracts and understanding of investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS).
• Opportunities and risks posed by large-scale agribusiness investments and the role of agricultural investment contracts in mitigating these risks and promoting sustainable development. 
• Best practices to enhance policy coherence and improve negotiation outcomes for responsible investments, with a focus on agriculture.

This capacity-building workshop will bring together 30 government officials from the Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Trade and Industry; Office of the President; the GreenBelt Authority; Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Fisheries and Co-operatives; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Malawi Investment and Trade Centre; Ministry of Finance; Public Private Partnership Commission; Reserve Bank of Malawi; Ministry of Natural Resources Energy and Mining; and Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. These are all relevant institutions dealing with agricultural investment contracts, bilateral investment treaties, and/or agricultural investment laws.