Investment Treaty Forum Membership & Governance

The Forum offers many benefits to its members:

  • The opportunity to participate in an independently run Forum that aims to influence investment treaty law and policy, providing an arena for ongoing and constructive debate with relevant actors.
  • A direct influence on the agenda of Forum meetings and the opportunity to recommend topics for debate.
  • The opportunity to suggest research or other work to be carried out by the Forum staff.
  • Access to research carried out by the Forum Director and other staff.
  • A place at each Forum meeting, free attendance for nominated Forum membership at public conferences and discussions related to the field.
  • General BIICL membership benefits for nominated representatives of each Forum member.
  • The opportunity to recommend guest speakers to be invited to Forum discussions and conferences.
  • The Forum's activities will be underpinned by web resources - in the form of an extranet - designed for exclusive use by the Forum's Members. This will feature the research materials produced for the Forum meetings and all other information pertinent to Members' interests.

The Forum's strength is in its membership, which is drawn from as wide a range of backgrounds as possible. Members receive the primary benefits from the Forum and support its activities, and are invited to suggest research topics. Outputs from the Forum are intended for their primary consumption. The Forum then crystallises these discussions, taking the issues further and, where appropriate, presenting the views of Members on issues of concern to governments and decision-makers. The Forum has strong links with related institutions (the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UNCTAD and many others).

Forum membership is limited to ensure the highest quality in its plenary discussions. To guarantee continuity, and manageability of debate, Membership is for named individuals only. However at the time of joining, Members may nominate a senior colleague to represent them on those occasions when they are unable to attend meetings. Members then meet as often as possible in order to discuss developments and particular topics with those responsible for shaping practice in this field.

To enable BIICL to sustain its activities in this field, Membership will cost £2,750 (+ VAT) per annum. An individual rate of £500 has also been set to enable individual barristers, arbitrators, academics and those outside of larger organisations to participate in the Forum. The lower rate also applies to non-governmental organisations and law firms from less economically advantaged countries. The Forum's aim is to be open to specialists in the field; with all applications being considered by the Director and the Advisory Board.

The list of current members of the Investment Treaty Forum can be found here. For more information on ITF membership please email Norah Gallagher.