ARTICLE 6 NON-DISCRIMINATION 1. A State Party shall accord to investors and their investments treatment no less favou·rable than the treatment it accords, in like circumstances, to its own investors and their investments with respect to the management, operation and disposition of investments. in its territory. 2. For greater certainty, references to "like circumstances" in paragraph 1 requires an overall examination on a case-by-case basis of all the circumstances of an investment including, inter alia: (a) its effects on third persons and the local community; (b) its effects. on the local, regional or national environment, including the cumulative effects of all investments within a jurisdiction on the environment; (c) the sector the investor is in; (d) the aim of the measure concerned; (e) the regulatory process generally applied in relation to the measure concerned; and · (f) other factors directly relating to the investment or investor in relation to the measure concerned. 3. Notwithstanding the prov1s1ons of paragraph 1, State Parties may, in accordance with their respective, domestic legislation grant preferential treatment to domestic investments and investors in order to achieve national development objectives. ARTICLE 7 TRANSPARENCY 1. State Parties shall promote and establish predictability, confidence, trust and integrity by adhering to and enforcing open and transparent policies, practices, regulations and procedures as they relate to investment. 2. State Parties that introduce new regulations that affect the provisions of this Annex shall notify the Secretariat for information purposes within a period of three (3) months of introducing such regulations. 11