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68. Open arbitration conducted by unbiased arbitrators together with limited
review will reduce the arbitrariness that has rendered proceedings illegitimate and
awards suspect. States should also have the right to initiate disputes against
investors that violate the right to health of individuals.
69. Arbitrators’ discretion in allowing non-disputing parties to make submissions
should be replaced by the right of affected communities to make written and oral
submissions.
70. The Special Rapporteur is pleased to note that some States are already
challenging the inequities of the current investor-State dispute settlement regime. For
example, Ecuador amended its Constitution to prohibit entry into instruments that
waive its sovereign jurisdiction in the arbitration of disputes with private indiv iduals
or corporations. Consequently, the country withdrew from the Convention on the
Settlement of Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States, followed by
the Plurinational State of Bolivia and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela .67
VI. Conclusion and recommendations
71. There is a need to further clarify the issues of justiciability, progressive
realization and enforcement of the right to health. This will help in highlighting
the important role of the right to health in the individual’s ability to live with
dignity. It will also facilitate better planning and implementation of health related policies. In the context of the current political and economic climate
dominated by transnational corporations, steps should be taken to ensure that
there are binding legal human rights obligations on transnational corporations
towards individuals.
72. The Special Rapporteur recommends that States ensure the domestic
justiciability of the right to health, including the obligations to respect, protect
and fulfil the right to health of individuals.
73. To ensure effective enforcement of the right to health in domestic
jurisdictions, the Special Rapporteur makes the following recommendations:
(a) Specific directions for implementing court judgements and orders
that respect, protect and fulfil the right to health should be issued to the
relevant authorities;
(b) States should ensure that court judgements on the right to health are
fully implemented, in the same way as any other judicial order that promotes
rights;
(c) Judgements and orders should be implemented
participation of affected communities and other stakeholders;
with
the
(d) Systems of monitoring the implementation of health-related orders
should be created, allowing for continuous oversight by adjudicatory bodies,
community and civil society organizations and other stakeholders;
(e) Administrative remedies should allow for an adjudicator to review
alleged violations of the right to health.
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http://unctad.org/en/Docs/webdiaeia20106_en.pdf.
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