Applicable Laws – Convergence of Two Regimes under MFN
Concerning the applicability of existing law, the Tribunal held that it was
wrong to conclude that the BITs had no rights to the host state and did not
impose any obligations on investors.
In the Tribunal's view, the applicable BIT is not an isolated or closed system,
as the BIT itself allows other sources of international law to be referred to.
The Tribunal concluded by looking at the three rules of the BIT:
The MFN clause entitled Dispute Resolution Rules, Applicable Law Rule, and “Most
Favourable Terms”. It noted that the applicable rule of law is particularly
interesting because it refers to “general principles of international law.”
The Tribunal found that the reference was meaningless if BIT was to isolate
other areas of international law. According to the Tribunal, even interpreting
the BIT as such would be wrong because the interpretation of a contract must
give an effective application to its terms. The Tribunal found, therefore, that
the BIT cannot be regarded as an isolated rule of international law for “the
sole purpose of protecting investments through rights granted exclusively to
investors.”
The Tribunal turned to the question of BIT's involvement with international
human rights law. Here, it rejects claimants' claim that a state cannot be
subject to international law in the state system, and that “such a policy,
despite its significance in the past, has lost its impact and relevance. Such
terms and conditions apply to individuals.”
Interestingly, even if a BIT treats investors as subjects of international law,
it does not undermine the notion that foreign investors may be subject to
international legal obligations. Moreover, in light of the recent developments
in international law, the Tribunal has asserted that it is no longer acceptable
that internationally-run corporations are exempt from becoming subjects of
international law.
To determine whether international legal obligations exist with non-state
entities, the Tribunal ruled that:
“the specific functions of the corporation are related to human rights”.
In doing so, the Tribunal looked at international conferences and referred to
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the International Labour
Organization's Declaration on Multinational Organizations and Social Policy
Principles. These tools describe human rights that may or may not be related to
water rights.
The Tribunal has found that Article 30 of the UDHR and Article 5 (1) of the
ICESCR are relevant in the present context. These articles include:
Article 30 UDHR
‘Nothing in this Declaration refers to any right of any State, group or person
to engage in any activity or to perform any act intended to destroy the rights
and freedoms set forth herein.’
Article 5 (1) ICESCR
‘Nothing in the present Agreement implies any right to any State, Group or
Person to engage in any activity or to do anything that is intended to destroy
the rights or freedoms recognized herein, or is not within their limits. Rather
than as provided for in the present Agreement.’
The Tribunal asserted that the right to water and sanitation is undeniable as
part of human rights and that States must provide safe and clean drinking water
and sewerage to all people subject to this authority. Services. Despite this
finding, the remaining challenge of the Tribunal is to establish a legal
obligation on the investor, but it does not find such a duty.
According to the Tribunal, the Argentine argument involved the concessionaire's
obligation to enforce the human right to water for water and wastewater, and
this means that the source of the human rights in question is not BIT or
international law, but the concession agreement.
In conclusion, the Tribunal examined the human rights to water rights in the
AGBA's concession structure. It agreed with Argentina that the offer was
designed to contribute significantly to the enforcement of the people's water
rights. Even so, it found that there was no such obligation under international
law. The major responsibility is to exercise its power over concessions to
ensure and protect the basic right of the people to water and sanitation.
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