Friends of the Earth International positions on key trade and investment issues

This policy brief outlines Friends of the Earth International's (FOEI) opposition to 'new generation' trade and investment treaties and the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, while proposing an alternative framework for sustainable trade and food sovereignty.

• Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) opposes 'new generation' free trade treaties—specifically TTIP, CETA, TPP, TiSA, and various BITs and FTAs—arguing they transfer excessive power to multinational corporations and cannot be reformed. FOEI urges affected governments to immediately stop the negotiation and ratification of these agreements.
• FOEI advocates for the complete dismantling of the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism, describing it as a fundamentally flawed and unjust system. The document notes that ISDS allows corporations to sue governments in private tribunals for billions in compensation when policy changes affect profits, which FOEI claims undermines democratic processes and national judicial systems. By the end of 2014, 608 investor-state disputes were known globally.
• The document highlights specific ISDS cases where governments were penalized for public interest regulations: Canada was sued for CAN $250 million following a fracking moratorium in Québec; Argentina was ordered to pay $405 million to the French company Suez after returning water provision to public control; and Mexico was fined $16 million for prohibiting a toxic waste dump.
• FOEI proposes an alternative sustainable trade regime that prioritizes local economies, fair trade networks, and food sovereignty. This model would include binding social and environmental regulations, government control over investment flows and exports/imports, and equitable South-South trade partnerships.
• FOEI calls for the removal of agriculture from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to achieve food sovereignty. Regarding 2015 reforms, FOEI supports rules that allow developing countries to implement public stockholding programs for food security and use a Special Safeguard Mechanism to protect markets from import surges.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (2016). Friends of the Earth International positions on key trade and investment issues. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-trade-doc.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. Friends of the Earth International positions on key trade and investment issues. 2016. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-trade-doc.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=Friends of the Earth International positions on key trade and investment issues |date=March 2016 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-trade-doc.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternational2016friends, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{Friends of the Earth International positions on key trade and investment issues}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2016}, month = mar, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/foe-trade-doc.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }