Radio Mundo Real

The Commission for the Citizen Audit of Reciprocal Protection of Investment Treaties and the International Arbitration System (CAITISA) was a proposal by social organizations adopted by the Ecuadorian government in May 2013, aiming to analyze the negotiation processes of Bilateral Investment Treaties and other investment agreements signed by the country, as well as the International Arbitration System.

Made up by international experts, members of the Ecuadorian government and civil society representatives, CAITISA has made different findings, said Luciana Ghiotto, of ATTAC Argentina, civil society representative at the Commission, in an interview with Real World Radio:

"First of all, having access to official documents, for instance, allowed to find out how Ecuador entered the ICSID in a fraudulent way. (...) On the other side, it allowed us to understand how the conflict resolution mechanism works. We could have access to the real amounts paid in lawsuits against governments, how much Ecuador owes, who the arbitrators were in each of the cases, and this allowed us to build a public information matrix".

The detailed analysis of the treaty clauses allowed to identify the common logic behind the treaties signed by Ecuador, but also those signed by different countries, through which it is possible to say that "the rights of investors are above human rights, the rights of communities, the right of the State to implement public policies", said Ghiotto in the interview with RWR.