​The Law, Justice and Development (LJD) Week took place last week from November 16-20, 2015 at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. LJD Week is an annual knowledge-sharing event co-organized by the World Bank’s Legal Vice-Presidency, the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), and the Legal Departments of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). It also involves the collaboration and participation of international partners of the Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development (GFLJD).

As in previous years, LJD Week 2015 brought together World Bank Group staff, senior officials from other international financial institutions, international development practitioners, government officials, lawyers, judges, scholars and representatives from civil society.

This year, for the first two days of LJD Week, session panelists and participants explored the role of Governance and the Law in the social and economic advancement of nations, with a focus on the value of law in producing sustainable development outcomes. On the third day, LJD Week 2015 also explored themes related to the Middle East and North of Africa (MENA) region. In past years, the regional or country focus days took an in-depth look at legal, economic and social developments in Europe, Africa, India and China. On the last day, topics related to the operations of the World Bank Group and International Financial Institutions were discussed.

For the MENA Day, on Wednesday, November 18, 2015, ICSID organized a special session on The Development and Impact of International Trade & Investment Agreements in the Middle East and North Africa. The panelists were Ms. Samaa Haridi of Hogan Lovells, Dr. Borzu Sabahi of Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle and the Georgetown University Law Center and Mr. Dany Khayat of Mayer Brown. The session was moderated by ICSID Legal Counsel, Mr. Paul-Jean Le Cannu, and attracted more than 70 participants.

During this session, the panel assessed the economic and political context of the region, considering terms, trends and perceptions of these international trade and investment agreements and their relationship with foreign direct investment inflows and outflows within and beyond the MENA region. They also reflected on the impact of the Arab spring on the investment climate and development prospects, as well as on investment-related disputes. The speakers concluded by sharing their thoughts on future challenges that States and investors are encountering in the region, and considered opportunities for enhancing awareness of potential avenues for dispute resolution and encouraging international investment in the Middle East and North Africa.