Letter to USTR's Ambassador Zoellick to Oppose the Initiation of Investment Negotiations within the World Trade Organization

The document urges the United States Trade Representative to oppose the initiation of investment liberalization negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial meeting in Cancun.

• The authors argue that WTO investment rules would likely increase corporate rights regarding foreign investment without imposing corresponding obligations on corporate behavior, which they believe hinders sustainable development.
• The document asserts that investment rules can undermine the capacity of democratic governments to implement public interest policies, citing NAFTA Chapter 11 as a precedent where Canada and Mexico lost cases involving environmental and public interest protections.
• The authors claim that WTO investment rules would obstruct the development goals of developing countries and restrict the ability of the poorest nations to diversify their economies, noting a World Bank report that found no evidence that investment agreements increase investment flows to developing countries.
• The document opposes the inclusion of portfolio investment in negotiations, arguing that doing so could limit the ability of countries to use capital and financial controls to manage financial instability, a tool supported by the International Monetary Fund for developing countries.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2003). Letter to USTR's Ambassador Zoellick to Oppose the Initiation of Investment Negotiations within the World Trade Organization. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-letter-to-ustrs-ambassador-zoellick-to-oppose-the-initiation-of-investment-negotiations-within-the-world-trade-organization/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Letter to USTR's Ambassador Zoellick to Oppose the Initiation of Investment Negotiations within the World Trade Organization. 2003. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-letter-to-ustrs-ambassador-zoellick-to-oppose-the-initiation-of-investment-negotiations-within-the-world-trade-organization/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Letter to USTR's Ambassador Zoellick to Oppose the Initiation of Investment Negotiations within the World Trade Organization |date=1 August 2003 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-letter-to-ustrs-ambassador-zoellick-to-oppose-the-initiation-of-investment-negotiations-within-the-world-trade-organization/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2003letter, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Letter to USTR's Ambassador Zoellick to Oppose the Initiation of Investment Negotiations within the World Trade Organization}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2003}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-letter-to-ustrs-ambassador-zoellick-to-oppose-the-initiation-of-investment-negotiations-within-the-world-trade-organization/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }