More investment is needed to modernize agriculture and food systems in Eastern and Southern Africa. But for agricultural investments to advance sustainable development in the region, they need to promote inclusive land governance, improve livelihoods and food security for local populations, and enhance the productivity, sustainability, and resilience of local food systems.

IISD and the COMESA Secretariat hosted a workshop for agricultural investment negotiators, state lawyers, and policy-makers in COMESA member countries on how to design responsible investment contracts. We presented IISD’s Model Contract Clauses for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and explained how they can be used to develop templates for agricultural investment contracts that are tailored to national or regional needs and contexts.

While comprehensive and well-enforced laws are the best way to ensure investments respect the rights of legitimate tenure holders, protect the environment, create quality jobs, and contribute positively to building climate resilience, there remains a lack of robust legal frameworks for land governance in the region. Enforceable investor–state investment contracts can help address these gaps in domestic legal frameworks.

Our model contract clauses distil international guidance and principles on responsible investment in agriculture and food systems into customizable, enforceable contractual obligations. They can also help to promote coherence between global, regional, and national laws and priorities by promoting international and regional development objectives that are tailored to national legal contexts. 

Interested in what IISD’s model contract clauses can offer other regions or countries?

If you are interested in learning more about how IISD’s model contract clauses can support your country’s investment governance framework or if you would like information or advice on how to reform laws, regulations, policies, and contracts in order to promote responsible investment in agriculture and food systems, we encourage you to request IISD’s advisory and capacity development services.
 

The workshop will equip Madagascar officials with knowledge about international investment agreements, crucial provisions in investment treaties, and key developments at regional, continental, and international levels.

IISD's experts will assess Madagascar's current investment agreements, internal structure for handling negotiations, and challenges with ongoing negotiations. The participants will also discuss Madagascar's international investment policies and their connection to the country’s sustainable development goals.

The workshop is dedicated to Madagascar government officials involved in the development, negotiation, or management of investment treaties, investment promotion, and investor–state disputes.

IISD's team of international investment experts provides training courses, workshops, and a range of advisory services for developing economy officials—covering investment treaties, laws and contracts, negotiations, and dispute prevention and management. Read here (English) and here (French) to find out more.

For several years, IISD has assisted Burkina Faso in creating an integrated national framework for negotiating BITs that promote socially and environmentally sustainable investments.

As part of the reform efforts, Burkina Faso has adopted a procedural guide for investment treaty negotiations and a national model BIT.

To ensure that these tools are fully utilized, IISD has recommended the establishment of a permanent, cross-cutting National Investment Treaty Negotiation Committee. The negotiation team will be responsible for coordination between the various ministries and agencies involved in the investment treaty negotiation process.

This workshop trained the members of the emerging National Investment Treaty Negotiation Committee—including representatives from Burkina Faso’s ministries responsible for industry, foreign affairs, the economy, and finance—on the country’s new tools for negotiating BITs.

The workshop’s specific objectives were to

• increase the participants' foundational understanding of international investment law;
• heighten the participants' awareness of the complexities involved in negotiating and finalizing investment treaties;
• foster the participants' commitment to embracing Burkina Faso's new investment treaty negotiation system; and
• strengthen a group of experts specializing in BIT negotiations in Burkina Faso.

The 2-day session equipped Algerian officials with knowledge about international investment agreements, key investment treaty provisions, and important recent developments at regional, continental, and international levels.

This event assessed Algeria’s current investment agreements and challenges related to ongoing negotiations, as well as its institutional setup for treaty negotiations. The workshop also stimulated discussions on Algeria’s international investment policies and their connection to the country’s sustainable development goals.

Across the 2 days, the workshop aimed to:

• Provide an overview of international investment agreements (IIASs), including key challenges and implications for developing countries.
• Raise awareness of the status of IIAs signed by Algeria, including the number and type of treaties signed.
• Facilitate dialogue among participants on potential issues related to existing IIAs and identify reform needs.
• Explore Algeria's current approach to negotiating treaties, which agencies are involved in negotiations, and how inter-agency coordination is ensured.
• Raise awareness among participants about practical ways to structure and prepare IIA negotiations to improve the chances of success.

This introductory workshop will be followed by in-depth technical training to be held in the first half of 2024.

The workshop was dedicated to Algerian government officials involved in the development, negotiation, or management of investment treaties, investment promotion, and investor–state disputes.

IISD's team of international investment experts provides training courses, workshops, and a range of advisory services for developing economy officials—covering investment treaties, laws and contracts, negotiations, and dispute prevention and management. Read here (English) and here (French) to find out more.
 

Taking place on Africa Day, this event, hosted jointly by WWF’s Regional Office for Africa and IISD, will focus on climate change challenges in protected areas, showcasing the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative, funded by Canada’s Partnering for Climate Initiative. It will provide a space to unpack the complexity of climate change impacts and potential interventions, including through nature-based solutions. This event will also highlight the benefits of transboundary protected areas to enhance adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and development cooperation among neighbouring countries.

Speakers:

Evelyn Namubiru-Mwaura, Director, Program Quality and Resource Acquisition, WWF International

Andrew Hurst, Executive Director, Climate Finance, Global Affairs Canada

Alec Crawford, Director, Nature for Resilience, IISD

Harisoa Hasina Rakotondrazafy, WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office

Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu, Chief Magistrate, Uganda Wildlife Court

This event, hosted jointly by Global Affairs Canada and IISD, will highlight Canada’s leadership on climate finance through the Partnering for Climate initiative and include interactive exchanges between Partnering for Climate project hosts and an international audience. It will feature IISD-led projects, such as the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative and the Scaling Urban Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Adaptation in sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) initiative, as well as Plan International Canada’s project: Conservation and Sustainable Management of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems (COSME) in Kenya. This event seeks to demonstrate the implementation potential and stories of nature-based solutions for adaptation in Canada, sub-Saharan Africa, and Small Island Developing States, as well as Canada’s role in accelerating global climate action.

Speakers:

• Andrew Hurst, Executive Director, Climate Finance, Global Affairs Canada
• Alec Crawford, Director, Nature for Resilience, IISD
• Evelyn Namubiru-Mwaura, Director, Program Quality and Resource Acquisition, WWF International
• Jeffrey Qi, Policy Advisor, Resilience, IISD
• Kristen Ostling, Senior Advisor, Policy and Advocacy, Plan International Canada

To learn more, visit the Canadian Pavilion event page here. [Please note that the official page is being updated to reflect changes from Parks Canada to Plan International Canada]

Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) Masterclass

Background

More investment is needed to transform Africa’s agriculture and food systems, boost production and productivity, and improve livelihoods and food security on the continent. Investments in agricultural production are also needed to take advantage of the opportunities for increased intra-African trade created by the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). But not all investment is equally beneficial. Some types of agricultural investments carry significant socioeconomic and environmental risks. What is really needed in Africa is more responsible investment in agriculture, the kind of investment that promotes inclusive land governance, improves food security for local populations, and enhances the productivity, sustainability, and resilience of local food systems. 

The Masterclass

In this Masterclass, IISD presented its new Model Contract Clauses for Responsible Investment in Agriculture, which distil regional guidance and international principles on responsible investment in agriculture and food systems into user-friendly, customizable contract clauses. The Masterclass was designed to help government policy-makers and agricultural investment negotiators understand key contract provisions and their overarching purpose, design, innovations, and limitations. In addition, it provided knowledge that can support civil society and community-based organizations to better advocate for responsible investment contracts that ensure agricultural investments further national and regional sustainable development objectives. 

The model clauses are designed to be used in investor-state agreements for agricultural investment projects (but they can be adapted and used by other tenure holders, including traditional owners and communities); by complementing national laws, managing project-specific issues, and putting into legal effect international and regional norms, standards, best practices, and principles. 

Objectives and outcomes 

• Take a deep dive into IISD’s new Model Contract Clauses for Responsible Investment in Agriculture, identifying key provisions, their overarching purpose, design, innovations, and limitations. 
• Demonstrate how to use IISD’s Model Contract Clauses to develop one's own template for agricultural investment contracts that are tailored to specific needs and contexts, and which distil regional and international principles of responsible investment in agriculture into enforceable contractual obligations. 
• Provide knowledge that can support civil society and community-based organizations to better advocate for responsible investment contracts that ensure agricultural investments further national and regional sustainable development objectives.