24 SEP 2021
15.30 – 17.30
(ICT)
Pushing the Boundaries of Pro Bono: Meeting the Needs of Sovereign States for Investor-State Dispute Settlement and Treaty Renegotiation in a Time of Pandemic
This session invites attendees to re-conceptualize the prevailing understanding of the limits of what constitutes pro bono work. It accomplishes this through an exploration of how civil society, the private sector, and public authorities are collaborating to meet the needs of least-developed countries in anticipation of the wave of pandemic-related claims against sovereign States by foreign investors that have suffered losses as a result of government measures taken to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The particular focus of discussion is the unique pro bono resources that have been mobilized from across the legal spectrum by the International Development Law Organization’s Investment Support Programme for Least Developed Countries (“ISP/LDCs”) to meet the current need.
Presenters:
Robert Houston | The Global Pro Bono Bar Association
Alessandra Mistura | International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
Louise Bond |K&L Gates LLP, London