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A formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted by Friends of the Earth – U.S. and other environmental organizations to the United States Trade Representative for documents concerning investment provisions in various U.S. free trade agreements.

The document examines the role of International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including multilateral development banks and export credit agencies, in financing large-scale extractive projects. It argues that these investments frequently lead to environmental disasters, human rights abuses, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples while failing to alleviate poverty. Through case studies in Peru, Colombia, the Philippines, Laos, Romania, Chad, Cameroon, Papua New Guinea, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Lithuania, the report illustrates the 'resource curse' and the failure of the export-led development model. It concludes by recommending a gradual phase-out of IFI lending for extractive industries and a shift toward renewable energy and community-led sustainable initiatives.

The report by Friends of the Earth International contends that IFIs, including multilateral development banks and export credit agencies, facilitate a destructive export-led development model. Through various case studies in countries like Peru, Colombia, and the Philippines, the document illustrates how these investments lead to environmental catastrophes, human rights violations, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples and women. It specifically highlights the contradiction between IFI funding of fossil fuels and global climate goals, ultimately recommending a phased withdrawal from extractive sectors in favor of decentralized renewable energy initiatives.

The report presents twelve reasons why large hydroelectric projects are incompatible with the goals of renewable energy initiatives. It contends that these projects fail to alleviate poverty, divert funding from cleaner decentralized technologies, and often suffer from underestimated costs and overestimated benefits. The text highlights severe social and environmental impacts, including the forced displacement of 40 to 80 million people and the emission of greenhouse gases from reservoirs. It further argues that large dams increase vulnerability to climate change, are inflexible and costly to build, and are not truly renewable due to sedimentation.

The report critiques the World Bank's renewed focus on high-risk/high-reward projects in extractive industries, forestry, and large dams. It argues that the Bank's history is marked by 'institutional amnesia,' where past failures—such as mass displacement and environmental devastation—are ignored in favor of an 'approval culture' that overstates benefits and understates costs. The authors highlight specific cases like the Sardar Sarovar Dam in India and the Chad-Cameroon pipeline to demonstrate how the poor and the environment bear the risks while private investors reap the rewards. The report recommends a shift toward low-risk, community-driven development and the establishment of reparations for past damages.

The document argues that the WTO's 'free trade' framework is systematically biased toward transnational corporations, which use privileged access to governments in the US, EU, and Japan to shape global rules. Through case studies, it illustrates how this influence leads to the forced adoption of GMOs, restricted access to essential medicines, the privatization of water and energy, and the undermining of international environmental agreements like the Kyoto Protocol and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. The authors call for a halt to current negotiations and an independent assessment of the social and environmental impacts of trade liberalization.

The report argues that the WTO system is biased toward transnational corporations, which use their access to governments and the WTO Secretariat to promote rules that undermine national environmental and health standards. Through case studies, it details how this influence manifests in the push for GMO acceptance, the restriction of essential medicines via the TRIPS agreement, the promotion of water and energy privatization through GATS, and the use of investment treaties to challenge public interest regulations. The authors call for a moratorium on further trade negotiations and an independent assessment of the social and environmental impacts of 'free trade'.

The document analyzes the rise of investor-state arbitration under Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs), noting a significant increase in cases compared to NAFTA's Chapter 11. Using ICSID data, it highlights pending cases that challenge government emergency measures in Argentina, tax policies in Burundi, and environmental regulations in Mexico and Peru. It also examines disputes over water privatization in Bolivia and Argentina, and the risks of using opaque, ad-hoc arbitration rules (like UNCITRAL) which can lead to conflicting rulings and a lack of public transparency, potentially undermining the legitimacy of the process and hindering the ability of developing nations to manage foreign investment.

The report critiques the impact of trade liberalisation and corporate control on global food security, advocating for a shift toward localised, sustainable food systems and the recognition of food sovereignty as a fundamental right.

The document examines the global trend of water privatization, highlighting how the World Bank and IMF pressure developing nations to privatize water services as a condition for loans. It details the dominance of French multinationals Suez and Vivendi, and the impact of trade agreements like GATS on water access. Through case studies from Bolivia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and other regions, it documents tariff increases, environmental degradation, and social resistance, while proposing community-based management and 'soft path' alternatives to corporate control.

The document critiques the global trend of water privatization, highlighting how the World Bank and IMF use loan conditionalities to force poor nations to privatize water services. It details the dominance of French multinationals like Suez and Vivendi, the impact of trade agreements like GATS, and provides case studies from countries such as Bolivia, Malaysia, and Indonesia where privatization led to price hikes and social unrest. It advocates for water as a social and cultural good rather than an economic commodity, promoting community-based management and ecological restoration.

The document argues that the patent system often fails to prevent 'bio-piracy' because traditional knowledge is rarely considered prior art during the examination of patent applications. It analyzes the definitions of prior art in the US, Japan, and Europe, and evaluates the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) as a mechanism for improving searches. The author recommends requiring patent applicants to disclose the source of traditional knowledge and evidence of prior informed consent, while suggesting the creation of standardized, linked databases to make public domain traditional knowledge accessible to patent examiners.

The briefing by Friends of the Earth International criticizes Anglo-American Plc for environmental degradation and social injustice in its mining operations. In Zambia, the company is accused of polluting water and air, and securing secret agreements to avoid liability for pollution. In Peru, its planned copper mine threatens water scarcity and the livelihoods of local farmers. The document highlights the company's failure to comply with OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and calls for an international framework for corporate accountability.

The document examines the legal tensions between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), specifically regarding the misappropriation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. It evaluates the Doha Ministerial Declaration's mandates, such as 'Tiret 15' and 'Tiret 95', as potential vehicles for amending TRIPS to recognize sovereign rights over genetic resources and mandate prior informed consent and benefit sharing. The author suggests a common agenda for biodiversity-rich countries to push for the non-patentability of naturally occurring organisms and the establishment of sui generis systems for traditional knowledge, while coordinating efforts across the WTO, WIPO, and FAO.

The report by Friends of the Earth International details 22 campaigns against multinational corporations across various sectors—including mining, oil, logging, and biotechnology—that are accused of destroying biodiversity and harming local communities. It highlights the failure of corporate self-regulation and 'greenwashing' strategies, specifically criticizing the outcomes of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the approach of the 2002 Johannesburg World Summit. The document calls for the recognition of 'ecological debt' owed by Northern industrial nations to the Global South and demands a binding legal framework to ensure corporate accountability, including the right of communities to be consulted and to receive compensation for damages.

The report identifies a significant decline in financial contributions and institutional participation among IAI member countries since 1997. While 19 American countries have joined, only a few maintain consistent funding, with the USA providing the vast majority of programmatic support. The Working Group analyzed data on voluntary contributions, institutional meeting attendance, and scientific program participation to diagnose the lack of interest, concluding that further analysis is required to develop effective recovery strategies.

The IAI invested approximately US$20 million between 1995 and 2000 to establish multinational research networks in the Americas. This was achieved through four primary programs: Start-up Grants (SG), the Initial Science Program (ISP), the Collaborative Research Network (CRN), and the Program to Expand Scientific Capacity in the Americas (PESCA). The IAI's Science Agenda focused on four themes, with the largest funding allocation going to 'Changes in the Composition of the Atmosphere, Oceans and Fresh Waters'. The institute reports 145 publications resulting from ISP and CRN funding and emphasizes student training as a key mechanism for regional scientific development. However, the IAI notes a funding gap of over US$6 million for high-quality research proposals that remain unfunded.

The document lists the administrative outcomes of the first day of the IAI CoP-VIII on July 19, 2001. Key actions included the election of the Bureau and the Executive Director Selection Committee, the approval of the meeting agenda and the previous meeting's report, and the decision to move the next CoP meeting to February/March 2002 to ensure the election of a new Director before the current contract expires in March 2002.

The IAI Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) met in May 2001 to review the first-year progress of various Collaborative Research Network (CRN) projects, discuss the upcoming Human Dimension open science meeting, and plan for an ISP Synthesis Conference in 2002. The committee identified a critical need for a standard reporting format to better track scientific outputs and human dimension impacts. The meeting also addressed SAC membership vacancies, the development of the IAI Data Information System (IAI-DIS), and the failure of a proposal for the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment to secure funding for Latin America.

The IAI Science Grant Program – Phase II (SGP-II) is a competitive funding initiative designed to support the development of multinational research networks addressing global change issues in the Americas. The program offers one-time awards of up to US$ 30,000 for projects lasting up to one year, with a specific priority on 'Integrated Assessment, Human Dimensions and Applications' (Theme IV) and the participation of young scientists. Eligible proposals must involve institutions from at least three IAI ratifying countries and align with the IAI Science Agenda's four primary themes: climate variability, ecosystem/biodiversity studies, atmospheric/oceanic composition, and integrated assessments.