NO INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO Declaration of Non Governmental Groups and Civil Society Movements

The document is a formal declaration by a broad coalition of non-governmental organizations and civil society movements opposing the inclusion of investment and other 'Singapore Issues' in WTO negotiations. The signatories argue that previous multilateral investment attempts, such as the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), focused excessively on investor protections while neglecting poverty reduction, sustainable development, and corporate accountability. They contend that current investor protection rules in NAFTA and bilateral agreements are used to challenge essential governmental actions, and that there is little empirical evidence that such rules increase the quality or amount of investment flows. The declaration asserts that the WTO is the wrong forum for these talks and that adding these issues would hinder necessary reforms and impose rules that developing countries cannot afford.

• Civil society groups 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, arguing that the WTO is the 'wrong forum' and is currently in a 'crisis'.
• The document argues that investment negotiations, including the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), prioritize the rights of transnational investors over national priorities regarding development, macroeconomic policy, environmental directives, and human rights law.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2003). NO INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO Declaration of Non Governmental Groups and Civil Society Movements. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Invest_Common_Mar03.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. NO INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO Declaration of Non Governmental Groups and Civil Society Movements. 2003. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Invest_Common_Mar03.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=NO INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO Declaration of Non Governmental Groups and Civil Society Movements |date=27 March 2003 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Invest_Common_Mar03.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2003investment, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{NO INVESTMENT NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO Declaration of Non Governmental Groups and Civil Society Movements}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2003}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Invest_Common_Mar03.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }