International arbitration institutions have been requested to administer an increasing number of investment disputes. In investment arbitration, a responding state usually stipulates its standing offers to arbitrate in the bilateral investment treaty (BIT). When choosing a specific arbitration institution to settle an investment dispute, the arbitration rules of that organization become the procedural rules governing the arbitral proceeding.

The Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (hereinafter “FCTC”) is the first treaty aiming to combat the tobacco epidemic under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). This multilateral convention seeks to pursue the highest public health protection standards and good global health governance. However, since the beginning of the FCTC negotiations, the tobacco industry has attempted to obstruct its development and implementation.

Concerns have been raised over the utilization of third-party funding in investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS). This paper aims to examine how the tribunals deal with the arguments raised by the respondents in the proceeding and evaluate whether the arbitral tribunals have sufficient tools at their disposal to deal with the concerns. Among the general concerns, jurisdiction and abuse of procedure, conflict of interests, access to confidential information, and security for costs are among the arguments raised by the respondents in the proceedings.

Oman has been involved in various regional trade integration within the MENA region but has also displayed longstanding Indian ocean connection with the aim to diversity its trading partners and market opportunities. The Indian ocean has always been a trade nexus connecting Asia, the Middle East and Africa and has received new impetus in the course of the current decade. Along with other countries of the region, Oman created in 1997 the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) with the objective of promoting trade liberalization through trade and investment facilitation.