ARTICLE 24 THE ROLE OF THE SECRETARIAT The Secretariat shall ensure close collaboration with State Parties and all relevant institutions on investment and other related matters in the Region. ARTICLE 25 RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS State Parties shall pursue and promote policies that will increase cooperation with other regional and international organisations on issues relating to investment. ARTICLE 26 BILATERAL INVESTMENT TREATIES State Parties may conclude bilateral investment treaties with third States. ARTICLE 27 ACCESS TO COURTS AND TRIBUNALS State Parties shall ensure that investors have the right of access to the courts, judicial and administrative tribunals, and other authorities competent under the laws of the Host State for redress of their grievances in relation to any matter concerning any investment including judicial review of measures relating to expropriation or nationalization and determination of compensation in the event of expropriation or nationalisation ARTICLE 28 SETTLEMENT OF INVESTMENT DISPUTES 1. Disputes between an investor and a State Party concerning an obligation of the latter in relation to an admitted investment of the former, which have not been amicably settled, and after exhausting local remedies shall, after a period of six (6) months from written notification of a claim, be submitted to international arbitration if either party to the dispute so wishes. 2. Where the dispute is referred to international arbitration, the investor and the State Party concerned in the dispute may agree to refer the dispute either to: (a) The SADC Tribunal; (b) The International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (having regard to the provisions, where applicable, of the ICSID Convention and the Additional Facility for the Administration of Conciliation, Arbitration and Fact-Finding Proceedings); or 35