International Investment Agreements, as well as investment chapters included in free trade agreements, are a key component of a pro-growth policy environment. Regional trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership are a priority on the global trade and investment agenda and have increasingly attracted public attention. It is therefore more important than ever to remind policymakers and the public why international investment agreements matter, and how they contribute to economic prosperity worldwide. It is in this context that the Business and Industry Advisory Committee (BIAC) to the OECD is currently preparing a paper on why international investment agreements matter.

The BIAC paper will provide input to the upcoming OECD conference on International Investment Treaties, which will be held in Paris on March 14. The conference will focus on the balance between investor protection and governments’ right to regulate. Active business input to these discussions will be important.