Link: http://ccsi.columbia.edu/

Self-presentation can be found at Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment website, section About us.

About Us

The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, is the only university-based applied research center and forum dedicated to the study, practice and discussion of sustainable international investment.

Mission

Our mission is to develop practical approaches for governments, investors, communities and other stakeholders to maximize the benefits of international investment for sustainable development.

Our Approach

CCSI integrates legal, economic and policy expertise, and approaches sustainable investment holistically, bridging investment law, natural resource management, human rights, economics, political economy, and environmental management. We conduct rigorous research, provide policy analysis and advisory services, offer educational programs, develop tools and resources, and foster multi-stakeholder dialogue and knowledge sharing among policymakers, development advocates, scholars, business leaders, and community stakeholders. We work to strengthen the sustainable development potential of international investment, and to ensure that international investment is mutually beneficial for investors and the citizens of recipient countries. 

Our Background

CCSI, formerly the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment (VCC), is an independent non-profit academic center established in 2008 thanks to a generous grant from Vale S.A. We maintain academic integrity as a neutral platform for advanced academic and applied research in all engagements with outside entities. As a forum for multi-stakeholder and inter-disciplinary discussion, CCSI preserves an open environment for debate, and supports the freedom of ideas and the public accessibility of research results.