SADC Investment Protocol (2006)
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Article 26. Bilateral Investment Treaties

State Parties may conclude bilateral investment treaties with third States.

Article 27. Access to Courts and Tribunals

State Parties shall ensure that investors have the right of access to the courts, judicial and administrative tribunals, and other authorities competent under the laws of the Host State for redress of their grievances in relation to any matter concerning any investment including judicial review of measures relating to expropriation or nationalization and determination of compensation in the event of expropriation or nationalisation

Article 28. Settlement of Investment Disputes

1. Disputes between an investor and a State Party concerning an obligation of the latter in relation to an admitted investment of the former, which have not been amicably settled, and after exhausting local remedies shall, after a period of six (6) months from written notification of a claim, be submitted to international arbitration if either party to the dispute so wishes.

2. Where the dispute is referred to international arbitration, the investor and the State Party concerned in the dispute may agree to refer the dispute either to:

(a) The SADC Tribunal;

(b) The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (having regard to the provisions, where applicable, of the ICSID Convention and the Additional Facility for the Administration of Conciliation, Arbitration and Fact-Finding Proceedings); or

(c) An international arbitrator or ad hoc arbitral tribunal to be appointed by a special agreement or established under the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.

3. If after a period of three (3) months from written notification of the claim there is no agreement to one of the above alternative procedures, the parties to the dispute shall be bound to submit the dispute to arbitration under the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law as then in force. The parties to the dispute may agree in writing to modify these Rules.

4. The provisions of this Article shall not apply to a dispute, which arose before entry into force of this Annex.

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  • Chapter   ONE Definitions and Objectives 1
  • Article   1 Definitions 1
  • Article   2 Objectives 1
  • Chapter   TWO Co-operation on Investment 1
  • Article   3 Co-operation on Investment 1
  • Chapter   THREE Macroeconomic Convergence 1
  • Article   4 Macroeconomic Convergence 1
  • Chapter   FOUR Co-operation In Taxation and Related Matters 1
  • Article   5 Co-operation In Taxation and Related Matters 1
  • Chapter   FIVE Co-operation Among Central Banks 1
  • Article   6 Co-operation and Co-ordination on Exchange Controls 1
  • Article   7 The Legal and Operational Frameworks 1
  • Article   8 Payments, Clearing and Settlement Systems 1
  • Article   9 Co-operation In the Area of Information and Communication Technology 1
  • Article   10 Co-operation between Banking Supervisors 1
  • Chapter   SIX Network of Dfis 1
  • Article   11 Facilitation of Activities of Dfis 1
  • Chapter   SEVEN Co-operation In Regional Capital and Financial Markets 1
  • Article   12 Regulation and Supervision of Non-banking Financial Services 1
  • Article   13 Development of Capital and Financial Markets 1
  • Article   14 Co-operation Among Member Stock Exchanges 1
  • Chapter   EIGHT Anti-money Laundering 1
  • Article   15 Co-operation with Regard to Anti-money Laundering 1
  • Chapter   NINE Project Preparation and Development Fund 1
  • Article   16 Development of a Sadc Project Preparation and Development Fund 1
  • Chapter   TEN Institutional and Administrative Arrangements 1
  • Article   17 Establishment of Institutions 1
  • Article   18 The Committee of Ministers for Finance and Investment 1
  • Article   19 The Committee of Central Bank Governors In Sadc 1
  • Article   20 Peer Review Panel 1
  • Article   21 Institutional Mechanisms 1
  • Article   22 Functions and Responsibilities 1
  • Chapter   ELEVEN Final Provisions 1
  • Article   23 Annexes 1
  • Article   24 Settlement of Disputes 1
  • Article   25 General Undertaking 1
  • Article   26 Amendments 1
  • Article   27 Signature 1
  • Article   28 Ratification 1
  • Article   29 Entry Into Force 2
  • Article   30 Accession 2
  • Article   31 Withdrawal 2
  • Article   32 Depositary 2
  • Annex 1   CO-OPERATION ON INVESTMENT 2
  • Article   1 Definitions 2
  • Article   2 Promotion and Admission of Investments 2
  • Article   3 Promotion of Local and Regional Entrepreneurs 2
  • Article   4 Public Private Partnerships 2
  • Article   5 Investment Protection 2
  • Article   6 Investors of the Third State 2
  • Article   7 General Exceptions 2
  • Article   8 Transparency 2
  • Article   9 Repatriation of Investment and Returns 2
  • Article   10 Corporate Responsibility 2
  • Article   11 Sourcing of Requisite Skills 2
  • Article   12 Optimal Use of Natural Resources 2
  • Article   13 Environmental Measures 2
  • Article   14 Right to Regulate 2
  • Article   15 Capital Movements 2
  • Article   16 Competition Policy 2
  • Article   17 Intra-regional and Extra-regional Agreements for the Avoidance of Double Taxation 2
  • Article   18 Trade, Investment and Industrial Policy 2
  • Article   19 Harmonisation of Policies and Laws 2
  • Article   20 Conditions Favouring Least Developed Countries 2
  • Article   21 Adherence to International Conventions and Practices 2
  • Article   22 Regional Cooperation on Investment 2
  • Article   23 Investment Promotion Agencies 2
  • Article   24 The Role of the Secretariat 2
  • Article   25 Relationship with other Organisations 2
  • Article   26 Bilateral Investment Treaties 3
  • Article   27 Access to Courts and Tribunals 3
  • Article   28 Settlement of Investment Disputes 3