50 Years of Bilateral Investment Treaties Conference 2009

The 50th anniversary of signing the world's first Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) is being marked by a conference organized under the patronage of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The conference will be held in Frankfurt from December 1 to 3, 2009. It will bring together distinguished international academics, advocates, arbitrators, economists, investors, policy makers and political scientists to identify and debate the current status of investment protection around the world, and the policy issues which are likely to influence its development over the decades to come.

Topics will include:

• Original Intent, Development and Economic Significance of BITs
• Current Substantial and Procedural Approaches in BITs around the World
• The Future of Investment Treaty Protection
• Europeanization and Regionalism: Challenges to BITs?
• What and Who are Protected: Are the Concepts of "Investment" and "Investor" being redefined?
• To Protect or not to Protect: Is there Non-protected Investment?
• The Changing Face of Investor-State Arbitration.

The full program of the conference and list of speakers, as well as registration details, may be found at www.50yearsofbits.com

ICSID is pleased to be associated with this event, along with the OECD and UNCTAD.