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

A letter dated August 1, 2003, from a coalition of organizations to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick urging the United States 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 establishing corresponding obligations for corporate behavior, noting that international environmental and social bodies have not developed binding rules on investor conduct.
• The letter expresses concern that investment rules undermine the ability of democratic governments to implement public interest policies, citing NAFTA Chapter 11 as a precedent where Canada, Mexico, and the United States faced challenges to environmental and public interest protections.
• The authors claim that WTO investment rules would hinder the development goals of poorer nations by restricting their ability to diversify economies and implement strategies for domestically oriented growth, such as supporting infant industries and decent employment.
• The coalition opposes the USTR's position on including portfolio investment in negotiations, arguing this could limit the ability of countries to use capital and financial controls to ensure economic stability, a tool supported by the International Monetary Fund and leading economists.
• The authors reject assurances that WTO negotiations would be flexible or limited in scope, citing the GATS negotiations where developed countries pressured developing countries for concessions and the tendency for WTO disputes to undermine public interest policies.

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} }