Centre for International Trade and Investment Law (CITIL), is an independent non-profit making non-Governmental organisation registered in Kenya.  CITIL’s main mandate is to build the capacity of the various stakeholders and citizens to beneficially participate in domestic and international trade and investment processes. It seeks to ensure that the international and national economic, trade and investment policy and policy making processes are geared towards addressing the development needs of the South and securing social and economic justice for the populations of the developing countries.  CITIL seeks to ensure that the pursuit of economic development through economic policies, trade and investment promotes the realization citizen’s fundamental rights and freedoms builds upon the gains made in the East African region in democratisation and good governance. Towards this end CITIL seeks to enhance consultations and negotiations among the communities, policy makers and other stakeholders to ensure that laws, policies and regulations adopted at the nationaynl and international level respond to the specific needs of the various actors in trade and the overall goal of economic development.

CITIL grew out of the need to ensure that the conduct of international and domestic trade and investment and the formulation of multilateral and domestic economic, trade and investment policies addresses the development needs of the developing countries of the East African region and that the same do not undermine the policy space of the developing countries to adopt measures necessary for their national development needs. CITIL provides a forum for addressing the emerging and contemporary legal and policy issues in international trade and investment arena and providing the policy and decision makers with research-based alternatives, that ensures that such policies do not undermine the promotion and security of fundamental rights and freedoms

Misssion of CITIL

CITIL’s mission is double-pronged:

• To empower communities in the East African region to exploit the opportunities in international trade and investment by facilitating their involvement in legal and policy formulation, trade negotiations, decision making and overall participation in the processes that enhance a people driven trade, investment and sustainable development.
• To ensure that international and domestic trade ad investment processes respect and promote the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, environmental conservation, economic and social justice.

Vision of CITIL

CITIL envisages a multilateral trade, investment and economic that processes promote the principles of social and economic justice, incorporate equitable participation and empowerment of all stakeholders, especially the countries of the global South and their peoples and communities; effective regional institutions that enhance local and regional trade and investment options; transparent and accountable national and local structures in which citizens and organizations of civil society meaningfully participate in policy decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods; and economies that value sustainability, human dignity, equity and community.