On August 7, 2022, Gustavo Petro took office as President of the Republic of Colombia.  This election is historic for multiple reasons: Petro won with the highest number of votes in Colombian electoral history (over eleven million votes); and this is the first time a left-wing candidate has been elected as President in the country. … Read more

From investments in mining and infrastructure, to agricultural commodities and green energy, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region are increasing trade and commercial ties. As those ties grow, so does the potential for disputes, particularly in the current geopolitical context created by the war in Ukraine, price spikes, supply chain and other disruptions, and … Read more

As discussed in our last Latin America Note on Chile, for many, the constitutional re-write process and the election of Gabriel Boric as President represent an opportunity to reshape Chile’s political, economic, and social structures by increasing social investment and environmental protection. However, for others (including foreign investors), this period of uncertainty has triggered significant … Read more

On April 21, 2022, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered judgment in Nicaragua v. Colombia concerning alleged violations of sovereign rights and maritime spaces in the Caribbean Sea. Following a ruling rendered in 2012 in a territorial and maritime dispute between the two countries, the ICJ determined that Colombia breached its international obligation to respect Nicaragua’s sovereign rights … Read more

With its theme “Dispute Resolution – Global, Sustainable, Ethical?” LIDW22 will take a critical look at the future of dispute resolution and its place in the post-pandemic world, through a series of events held both physically and virtually between 9 and 13 May. The programme for LIDW22 draws on current global issues driving the practice of dispute … Read more

On February 1, 2021, Mexican President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador submitted an initiative to amend the Electric Power Industry Law to Congress. The initiative appeared to be part of the current administration’s plan to reverse the energy reform introduced by former president Enrique Peña Nieto in 2013 that liberalized the energy market. Read more

In 2018, the Canadian company Bacanora Lithium PLC discovered a lithium deposit located in Bacadéhuachi, Sonora, in northern Mexico with declared reserves of 243.8 million tonnes, making it the world’s largest lithium mine. In the years since, lithium has become crucially important given its essential role in the production of batteries for mobile phones, computers, … Read more

The Constitutional Court of Ecuador (the “Court”) has recently ruled on a series of constitutional actions brought against the development of mining projects in Ecuador (the “Decisions”).  The Decisions illustrate the Court’s continued approach to recognizing and strengthening the right to prior consultation of indigenous communities on extractive activities in the country.  The Decisions however … Read more