Investor-State Disputes Registered At ICSID Surpass 1,000 Cases

The International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID or the Centre) announced on August 8, that it had registered its 1,000th case under the ICSID Convention and the Additional Facility. While the Centre is not the exclusive venue for investor-state claims, it is chosen approximately 70% of the time by investors.

The Centre, established in 1966, is part of the World Bank Group specializing in the conciliation and arbitration of international investment disputes. It had a slow beginning, registering its first case six years later in 1972, and it remained relatively inactive until the 1990s.

However, consistent with the growth of ratification of investment treaties over the last three decades, ICSID has experienced a steep growth in its caseload. This confirms that foreign investors are increasingly becoming knowledgeable of, and are also relying on, investment-related treaties to bring arbitration claims against sovereign states to protect