CISDL News & Press Releases

Montreal, Canada | 11 February, 2003

The debt burden of developing country governments is a critical issue for sustainable development. Debt repayment effects the level of resources available for poverty eradication and environmental protection. Recent multilateral initiatives have addressed reduction of debt to contribute to poverty eradication, and the consideration of arbitration frameworks to address state insolvency. The CISDL invites comments on its working paper on the validity of odious debts under international law and the legal and policy framework under which such debts can be resolved.

CISDL researchers are continuing work on this topic.

The paper is composed of three parts:

• Chapter One: The Odious Debt Doctrine Under International Law: Definition, Evidence and Issues Concerning Application (Jeff King)
• Chapter Two: Sites and Strategic Legal Options for Addressing Illegitimate Debt (Ashfaq Khalfan)
• Chapter Three: The Odious Debt Doctrine and International Public Policy: Assessing the Options (Bryan Thomas)

Download the executive summary only (114k)

Download the entire study (588k)

For more information, please contact:
Ashfaq Khalfan, Director, CISDL
akhalfan@cisdl.org
Centre for International Sustainable Development Law
3661 Peel St. Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1X1 Canada
Tel: 001 514 398 8918
Fax: 001 514 398 8197