This book focuses on the Asia-Pacific region, delineating the evolving dynamics of foreign investment in the region. It examines the relationship between efforts to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) and efforts to improve governance and inclusive growth and development. Against a background of rapidly developing international investment law, it emphasises the need to strike a balance between these domestic and international legal frameworks, seeking to promote both foreign investment and the laws and policies necessary to regulate investments and investor conduct. Foreign investments play a pivotal role in most countries' political economies, and in order to encourage cross-border capital flows, countries have taken various steps, such as revising their domestic legal frameworks, liberalising rules on inward and outward investment, and creating special regimes that provide incentives and protections for foreign investment. Alongside the developments in domestic laws, countries have also taken bilateral and multilateral action, including entering into trade and/or investment agreements. Further, the book explores regional investment trends, highlights specific features of Asia-Pacific investment laws and treaties, and analyses policy implications. It addresses four overarching themes: the trends (how Asia-Pacific's agreements compare with recent global trends in the evolving rules on foreign investment); what China is doing; current investment arbitration practice in Asia; and the importance of regionalising investment law in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, it identifies and discusses the research and policy gaps that should be filled in order to promote more sustainable and responsible investment. The book offers a valuable resource not only for academics and students, but also for trade and investment officials, policy-makers, diplomats, economists, lawyers, think tanks, and business leaders interested in the governance and regulation of foreign investment, economic policy reforms, and the development of new types of investment agreements.

This book focuses on the Asia-Pacific region, delineating the evolving dynamics of foreign investment in the region. It examines the relationship between efforts to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) and efforts to improve governance and inclusive growth and development. Against a background of rapidly developing international investment law, it emphasises the need to strike a balance between these domestic and international legal frameworks, seeking to promote both foreign investment and the laws and policies necessary to regulate investments and investor conduct. Foreign investments play a pivotal role in most countries' political economies, and in order to encourage cross-border capital flows, countries have taken various steps, such as revising their domestic legal frameworks, liberalising rules on inward and outward investment, and creating special regimes that provide incentives and protections for foreign investment. Alongside the developments in domestic laws, countries have also taken bilateral and multilateral action, including entering into trade and/or investment agreements. Further, the book explores regional investment trends, highlights specific features of Asia-Pacific investment laws and treaties, and analyses policy implications. It addresses four overarching themes: the trends (how Asia-Pacific's agreements compare with recent global trends in the evolving rules on foreign investment); what China is doing; current investment arbitration practice in Asia; and the importance of regionalising investment law in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, it identifies and discusses the research and policy gaps that should be filled in order to promote more sustainable and responsible investment. The book offers a valuable resource not only for academics and students, but also for trade and investment officials, policy-makers, diplomats, economists, lawyers, think tanks, and business leaders interested in the governance and regulation of foreign investment, economic policy reforms, and the development of new types of investment agreements.

The Karakoram-Hindu Kush-Himalayas Region of Pakistan is important all over the World not only because of their lofty mountains and glaciers but also because of their people who live with their traditional folk practices.Two of them are transhumance and indigenous community oriented system of irrigation called diversion channels.Transhumance is a seasonal movement of pastoral farmers who go to their pastures along with their animals for a period of three to four months and come back to their villages. In Gilgit-Baltistan the Shyok Valley and Yasin Valley while in Khyberpukhtunkhawa the Gawaldai Valley and Kaghan Valley are main areas where transhumant groups live. Due to modern development and socio-economic changes this old folk practice is diminishing rapidly. Diversion Channel is an indigenous community oriented irrigation system developed by their elders centuries ago to irrigate their land. It is operated and monitered by a community organization and has an excellent system of water sharing.

Flood is the most common of all environmental hazards.The reason lies because of the widespread geographical distribution of rivers basins from mountainous terrain to flood plains, the low lying coasts and deltas.Pakistan is also a country which faces flood hazard Periodically. Indus river basin is the main flood prone area which occupies two-third area of Pakistan. The South-Asiatic monsoon winds bring torrential rains from July to September. The recent floods occurred in August 2010 and August -September 2011 were worst floods in the history of Pakistan.It affected about 20 million people, killed 3000, destroyed 1 million houses, displaced 10 millions, and millions were affected by water-borne diseases, lack of food, drinking water and shelter. It is estimated that that about 130 million hectare of croplands had been inundated. The United Nations called these floods as most disastrous floods in the history of Pakistan which smashed economy of the country. Urban flooding is another growing catastrophic challenge in the mega cities of the World. Karachi, the mega city of Pakistan has a disastrous impacts of flooding due to sprawling