Recommendations to strengthen the substantiated submission process

In November 2017, OECD Watch filed the first-ever substantiated submission to the OECD Investment Committee (IC) addressing the Australian government’s application, through its National Contact Point, of the OECD Guidelines’ Procedural Guidance to a particular specific instance. In the intervening months, OECD Watch has engaged in the review process undertaken by the Investment Committee and its Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct (WPRBC). While we appreciate the rigor with which the review has been undertaken, we are concerned by several shortcomings with the review procedures. To resolve these shortcomings and ensure an equitable, transparent, and predictable process in the future, this statement proposes that the IC implement several reforms to the substantiated submission procedures.