The investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system has increasingly come under attack by states and civil society actors in light of the expansive manner in which treaty provisions have been interpreted. ISDS has been criticized for infringing on states’ right to regulate in the public interest, including on critical issues relating to climate change, domestic development, and public health. Christina Hioureas, a leading international arbitration lawyer who represents states in investor arbitration matters, will discuss the contemporary challenges that ISDS poses to states’ efforts to adopt public policy regulations, including measures aimed at countering climate change.

Christina Hioureas is a partner and Global Co-Chair of Foley Hoag LLP’s International Litigation & Arbitration Department, and Chair of the firm’s United Nations Practice Group. She represents States and State-owned entities in international disputes and public international law matters before international courts and arbitral tribunals and the United Nations, including on matters involving climate change, human rights, decolonization, anti-corruption, technology, and energy. She has argued cases before all major arbitral bodies (ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, ICDR, AAA, SIAC, HKIAC, Swiss Rules) and before the International Court of Justice, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and regional human rights tribunals. She advises States on matters before the United Nations and its bodies (UN General Assembly and Security Council). Christina also frequently serves as presiding, sole, emergency, and co-arbitrator in international disputes. In 2024, Christina was recognized as one of the top 10 most Innovative Lawyers by the Financial Times. She has also three times been awarded the Center for Justice and Accountability’s Partners in Justice award for her work on transitional justice in Somalia, Cambodia, and Chile.