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1. The Multilateral Agreement on Investment in the OECD has been temporarily stalled because of strong public protests in many OECD countries as well as objections from developing-country groups and governments. Objections from the public include that the MAI would grant new unprecedented rights for corporations (whilst removing the authority of states to place obligations or regulations on them), threaten national sovereignty and the viability of domestic firms and farms, remove conditions for development in the South and magnify environmental and social problems. Since there is no sign that the OECD governments are willing to consider a basic change in the premises and framework of the MAI, we call for the termination of the negotiations and the treaty in the OECD.
2. We are very concerned by the moves of some OECD governments, including the European Union, to move the MAI process to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Some of them claim this will make it fairer for developing countries and, moreover, environmental and labour concerns will be taken care of in the WTO. We reject these claims. Instead, shifting the investment issue to the WTO will place great pressure on developing countries to negotiate and eventually join an agreement that would have disastrous effects on their development prospects. Moreover, promises to include environmental and social concerns are likely to be only an eyewash to co-opt the public to accept the basic tenets of the MAI. The strong enforcement capability of the WTO through its dispute settlement system will also mean that all countries, especially developing countries, will be forced to comply. Domestic laws and policies in a wide range of issues will have to be changed, even if these were to cause job losses, closure of local enterprises and farms, financial instability, balance of payments deficits and environmental deterioration.
3. We therefore call on all governments, OECD and non-OECD alike, to reject any proposal to negotiate an investment agreement in the WTO. The trade and investment working group in the WTO should be confined to only study the trade and investment relation and should not be "upgraded" into a negotiation forum for an investment agreement. The proposals by the EU and other major countries to start a "Millennium Round" or a "comprehensive future agenda" for the WTO should not be used as a devise to sneak in an investment negotiation process in the WTO.
4. On principle, we are against the kind of assumptions and framework that the MAI represents. As public knowledge on the MAI increases, many more people are rejecting this approach. We call on governments, international agencies and NGOs not to accept the MAI or a similar investment approach as inevitable or a "given" but instead to choose a basically different approach in dealing with the investment issue.
5. Towards this alternative approach, we call for global and national guidelines, rules and regulations to place obligations on investors and corporations so that their activities and products serve the needs of people within a framework of internationally fair, socially just and environmentally sound development.
All India Association of Industries
Alternative Information and Development
Centre (South Africa)
A-SEED Europe
Biowatch South Africa
C.I.I.R. (UK)
Centre for Study of Global Patent
System and Development (India)
Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance
(Ireland)
Consumers Association of Penang
(Malaysia)
Coordination Centre L'AMI (French
Coordination Centre against the
Council for Responsible Genetics
(USA)
Council of Canadians
Eco News Africa (Kenya)
ECOROPA
Focus on Global South (Thailand)
Forum of Parliamentarians on Intellectual
Property and WTO Issues(India)
Friends of the Earth (USA)
Friends of the Earth International
Gaia Foundation (UK)
GATT WTO Campaign (Norway)
Genetic Resources Action International
(GRAIN)
GERMANWATCH; North-South Initiative
(Germany)
Global Publications Foundation (Sweden)
Global Trade Watch, Public Citizen
(USA)
Habitat International Coalition
Health Action International
Institute for Sustainable Development
(Ethiopia)
International Coalition of Development
Action
National Campaign against the MAI
in Canada
National Wildlife Federation (USA)
National Working Group on Patent
Laws (India)
Network Women in Development Europe
(WIDE)
Observatoire de la Mondialisation
Oscar Zamora, University of the
Philippines Los Banos
People's Decade of Human Rights
Education
Peoples' Forum 2001 (Japan)
Polaris Institute (Canada)
Red Thread (Guyana)
Southern African Traditional Leaders'
Council for the Management of Natural Resources
Third World Network
UBINIG (Bangladesh)
Washington Biotechnology Action
Council (USA)
WEED-World Economy, Ecology and
Development Association (Germany)
Women's Environment and Development
Organisation
Women's International League for
Peace and Freedom