This is the case for instance of the Agreements for the Reciprocal Protection of Investments signed among governments with the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), a World Bank institution, as the legal international space, established in the agreements. It is also the case of agreements signed directly between corporations and governments.

The people, especially of countries of the Global South, are the most affected. There have been cases of huge lawsuits filed by the companies against the countries when the governments try to implement policies in favor of the population, which the companies consider detrimental to their interests. Some of these examples are included in the video.

The video is a little over four minutes long and its language is clear. It warns that international investment agreements, many times signed in secret, are also “at the heart of an international economic system, that is enriching a small corporate elite at the public expense”, according to a press release issued by the organization.

The TNI explains, for instance, that corporate lawsuits against governments have risen by almost 1200% since 1990. It also states that Argentina’s legal bill for fighting corporate lawsuits has come to US$ 912 million, equivalent to the annual average salary of 140,000 teachers or 75,000 public hospital doctors.

In addition, the organization based in the Netherlands stated that corporate lawyers, based mainly in the UK and US, are earning around $800 dollars an hour encouraging corporations to sue governments.

You can watch the video in English below:

Photo: http://www.contrainfo.com