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Dear Sir/Madam,

It is my pleasure to announce the much-awaited launch of UNCTAD's 
Investment Dispute Settlement Navigator, the upgraded version of UNCTAD's 
earlier database on investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) cases. 

What makes UNCTAD's ISDS Navigator unique? The ISDS Navigator is: 

•       Comprehensive: the world's most complete ISDS database containing 
information on 668 publicly known international arbitration cases 
initiated by investors against States pursuant to international investment 
agreements (IIAs).

•       User-friendly and inclusive: the use of the Navigator is 
free-of-charge, granting access to ISDS information to a large number of 
stakeholders across countries; the search functions are intuitive and easy 
to handle, allowing non-experts to access key information. 

•       Data-rich: a source of readily available statistical data on the 
main aspects of ISDS cases (to view, click on the individual “Filters” 
below the Map).

•       In-depth and flexible: the “Advanced search” option allows 
tailoring searches to your needs (e.g.search for all cases against a 
particular country group, brought between 2010 and 2015, in which the 
amount claimed has exceeded USD 1 billion).

•       Detailed: each case entry contains information on: legal basis 
(applicable treaty); countries involved; short summary of the dispute; 
economic sector and subsector; amounts claimed and awarded; breaches of 
IIA provisions alleged and found; arbitrators serving on the tribunal; 
status/outcome of the arbitral proceedings; decisions issued by tribunals 
(with links to texts); links to external sources with information about 
the case, as well as other items. 

•       Regularly updated and reliable: All data presented in the ISDS 
Navigator has been compiled using a uniform methodology to ensure data 
comparability (the 'methodological notes' are available on the site). The 
data has been updated as of 1 September 2015. While every effort is made 
to keep information in the ISDS Navigator up to date and complete, the 
material is provided without any guarantees as to its accuracy or 
completeness.

Who can use the ISDS Navigator? The database is freely available to all 
from UNCTAD's Investment Policy Hub. It will be useful for country 
officials, policymakers, representatives from the private sector, civil 
society, law firms, arbitrators, academia, journalists and others with an 
interest in investment dispute settlement. 

Over the past year, our team has worked hard to collect and verify 
information on ISDS cases from published arbitral decisions and other 
available sources. We welcome any additional information or clarifications 
on specific cases as well as suggestions to improve the ISDS Navigator. 
Please contact us using the online contact form (“Report new developments” 
button). 

I hope that you find the UNCTAD ISDS Navigator useful and interesting - 
please feel free to also share it with your colleagues and tweet about 
your experience - @unctadwif #ISDS #Navigator

With kind regards,

James Zhan
Director, Investment and Enterprise
Team leader, World Investment Report
UNCTAD
Palais des Nations, Geneva
Tel: +41 22 917 5797 
www.unctad.org/diae; www.unctad.org/wir