About Us
The Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment (VCC), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a leading forum for discussion by scholars, policy makers, development advocates and other stakeholders of issues related to FDI in the global economy, paying special attention to the impact of this investment on sustainable development. The VCC fosters the development of a comprehensive curriculum in investment law and policy and bridges education, scholarship and practice in the field of sustainable investment. Its objectives are to analyze important topical policy-oriented issues related to investment and to develop and disseminate practical approaches and solutions to promote development outcomes.
The VCC currently focuses on three key themes: creating a framework for extractive industries and sustainable development; analyzing trends in investment law and policy around the world, especially as they contribute to sustainable development; and analyzing the rise of emerging market multinationals. The VCC hosts a wide array of conferences, symposia, speaker series and other events to bring practitioners and scholars together, and publishes a range of publications related to its key themes. In addition, through its practical work in a number of countries, students gain experience working on practical challenges of promoting and implementing sustainable investment in a number of cases. The VCC regularly collaborates with other Earth Institute centers and faculty on multi-disciplinary advisory projects, integrating expertise in law and investment with other fields of sustainable development.