ISDS Case Map
Panama
First Quantum Minerals said it had agreed to discontinue two arbitration proceedings related to its Cobre Panama copper mine.
The urgent demand for critical minerals has led to the expansion of mining operations, often accompanied by significant human rights and environmental abuses that cause social unrest and spark disputes between states and foreign investors.
Panama has agreed to pay $26 million to settle a dispute with Dominion Mineral Corp. after losing an arbitration award in 2020 over the US mining company’s copper-gold exploration licences.
Panama faces arbitration claims arising out of recent measures affecting foreign-owned investments in mining and other sectors, which are worth substantially more than half of its GDP.
Orla Mining Ltd. has filed a request for arbitration against the Government of Panama under the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement regarding the cancellation of the Cerro Quema mining concession in late 2023.
Orla Mining is exploring all legal remedies available to protect its investments in respect of the Cerro Quema Project. The company intends file a notice of intent to arbitrate under the Panama-Canada Free Trade Agreement.
The purported foreign investors were seeking approximately $100 million in damages claiming that the government had amended the legal framework for ethanol production in the country in breach of Panama's international law obligations.
First Quantum Minerals Ltd. is seeking $20 billion from Panama in a free trade arbitration case after the Central American nation shut down the company’s flagship copper mine late last year.
The battle between a Canadian mining company and Panama over one of the richest copper-gold mines in the Americas is headed to international arbitration – exposing Canada’s double standard when it comes to promoting free trade in the Global South.
Panama is facing at least three Investor-State Dispute Settlement cases from mining investors who claim that their investments have been affected by the decision.
