The VCLT, Future Fragmentations, and Opportunities for Innovation: Concluding Remarks

This chapter offers concluding remarks for the present book, The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties in Investor-State Disputes: History, Evolution, and Future. It engages with the systemic stressors that currently face public international law, international investment law, and investor- State dispute settlement, and looks ahead to emerging practices and next generation challenges. This chapter unfolds in three principal parts. First, it engages the concept of regime interaction and fragmentation of international law to provide a Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT)-centric analysis of these challenges for international investment law and ISDS. Second, it examines what insights the VCLT might provide for efforts to achieve harmonisation and systemic integration in international investment law. Finally, it considers future opportunities, in particular, how to usefully employ digital tools in conjunction with the VCLT to support the future development of international investment agreements as well as their conclusion, interpretation and application. In sum, this chapter engages the idea that, within an evolving landscape of systemic stressors, a disciplining force – such as the VCLT – can serve as a beacon.