Civil Society Declaration Calling for No Investment Negotiations at the World Trade Organization

The document is a joint statement by various civil society organizations arguing against the inclusion of investment and other 'Singapore Issues' in WTO negotiations. The signatories claim that previous multilateral investment attempts, such as the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), focused excessively on investor protections while neglecting poverty reduction and corporate accountability. They argue that current investor protection rules in NAFTA and bilateral agreements are used to challenge essential government actions for sustainable development. The declaration asserts that there is little empirical evidence that such rules increase investment quality or quantity and that the WTO is an inappropriate forum for these talks, as it should instead focus on reforms and issues critical to developing countries.

• Civil society organizations reject the launch of negotiations on investment and the 'Singapore Issues'—which include investment, competition, transparency in government procurement, and trade facilitation—at the Cancun Ministerial Conference.
• The signatories argue that previous multilateral investment negotiation attempts, specifically the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), were overly focused on investor protections and failed to address corporate accountability, liability, sustainable development, and poverty reduction.
• The declaration claims that developed nations like the US, EU, and Japan seek to grant transnational investors rights that supersede national decisions regarding macroeconomic policy, environmental directives, human rights law, and development priorities.
• Existing investor protection rules in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and bilateral investment agreements are reportedly being used to seek compensation for government actions necessary for a sustainable future, with corporate arbitration claims increasing rapidly.
• The document asserts that there is little empirical evidence that the investor protection rules discussed at the WTO or negotiated in the Free Trade Area of the Americas actually increase the amount or quality of investment flows.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2003). Civil Society Declaration Calling for No Investment Negotiations at the World Trade Organization. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-civil-society-declaration-calling-for-no-investment-negotiations-at-the-world-trade-organization/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Civil Society Declaration Calling for No Investment Negotiations at the World Trade Organization. 2003. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-civil-society-declaration-calling-for-no-investment-negotiations-at-the-world-trade-organization/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Civil Society Declaration Calling for No Investment Negotiations at the World Trade Organization |date=1 May 2003 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-civil-society-declaration-calling-for-no-investment-negotiations-at-the-world-trade-organization/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2003civil, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Civil Society Declaration Calling for No Investment Negotiations at the World Trade Organization}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2003}, month = may, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-signs-on-to-civil-society-declaration-calling-for-no-investment-negotiations-at-the-world-trade-organization/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }