“Enslaving Treaties – The Persistence of Colonial Ideology and Practice and the Quest for Sustainable Decolonization including Litigation”
The World Council of Churches (WCC), through its programme on Overcoming Racism, Xenophobia, and Related Discrimination, will convene on 26 May a global conversation shining a critical light on how colonial ideology continues to shape today’s economic systems through international investor treaties, especially the Investor-State Dispute Settlement system.
Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC
Titled “Enslaving Treaties – The Persistence of Colonial Ideology and Practice and the Quest for Sustainable Decolonization including Litigation,” the webinar will seek to expose how legal and financial frameworks established during and after colonial rule continue to constrain the sovereignty of nations in the Global South—often at the expense of human dignity, environmental protection, and intergenerational justice.
From the WCC’s 1st Assembly in Amsterdam in 1948, the WCC warned against the dangers of unchecked power—whether capitalist or communist—recognizing how vast economic and political concentrations of power give rise to greed, cruelty, and systemic injustice. The WCC also acknowledged that visions of racial equality, however imperfect, resonated deeply with peoples in Asia and Africa who were living under racist colonial domination.
Decades later, those warnings remain strikingly relevant.
International investor treaties, particularly those signed at the twilight of colonial rule or in its immediate aftermath, continue to bind developing nations into relationships of profound inequality. Often mediated through Euro-American economic frameworks, these treaties have created what many describe as a condition of “willing enslavement”—where governments are penalized for prioritizing environmental protection, public welfare, and climate action.
Through investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, multinational corporations can sue governments for enacting climate or environmental regulations, effectively silencing democratic decision-making and perpetuating racialized economic injustice.
Building on its longstanding commitment to economic justice, climate justice, and children’s rights—including initiatives such as the New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA) and the Churches’ Commitment to Children programme—the WCC is reiterating the call to churches and ecumenical partners to speak truth to power, including embracing litigation as an appropriate approach to seeking justice for the marginalized and vulnerable communities.
The upcoming webinar will explore how churches can engage morally, ethically, and legally to challenge unjust treaties, including through third-party interventions in investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms cases. At stake is nothing less than the future of communities disproportionately affected by the climate emergency—especially racialized children, girls, and young women.
The webinar discussion will unpack the historical and contemporary realities of international investor treaties, particularly those rooted in the colonial and post-colonial eras. It will also explore strategies for effective, structured interventions by churches and ecumenical bodies to dismantle unjust and discriminatory economic frameworks.
As climate crises intensify and economic inequalities deepen, the WCC affirms that inaction is no longer a viable option.
This webinar marks a renewed call for churches worldwide to stand alongside marginalized communities, confront structures of domination, and work boldly toward a future where justice, sustainability, and dignity are not negotiable—but guaranteed.
