Investments

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), December 9, 2015

9 December, 2015
As members of 453 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

UNCTAD Secretary General Mr M. Kituyi Respond to Global Civil Society Letter on the Role of UNCTAD on Investment Issues

23 October, 2014
Global Civil Society letter to UNCTAD Secretary General
In this response to global civil society groups letter, UNCTAD Secretary General Mr M. Kituyi's share the concerns of global civil society groups on the implications of current investment regime and expressed hope that proposed reforms of international investment agreements and investor state dispute settlement system (ISDS) will help to improve them system.

Global Civil Society letter to UNCTAD Secretary General on Investment Issues

15 October, 2014
On the occasion of UNCTAD World Investment Forum 2014, on October 13-16, Global Civil Society, in a letter to Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Member States of UNCTAD underlined various issues emerge from bilateral investment treaties (BITs) including investor state dispute settlement provisions. It called for a progressive role of UNCTAD to provide support to third world governments in framing alternative policies and remove major impediments to sustainable development created by international investment agreements (IIAs).

Implications of International Investment Agreements: UNCTAD World Investment Forum 2014 Event

15 October, 2014
The number of disputes brought by investors under international investment agreements (IIAs) has been steadily increasing. This event organized by OWINFS, TWN and Public Citizen at the UNCTAD World Investment Forum 2014 looks at the implications of these disputes for sustainable development, and will discuss actual case studies in particular areas.

Implications for jobs, consumers, and the environment and Africa of including investment in the post-Bali Roadmap: OWINFS event at WTO Public Forum 2014

1 October, 2014
On 3 October 2014 OWINFS organized an event, "Implications for jobs, consumers, and the environment and Africa of including investment in the post-Bali Roadmap" at WTO Public Forum.

Towards an International Secret Agreement (TISA) on Financial Services?

1 October, 2014
OWINFS Briefing Paper
This OWINFS network's brief on the proposed Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), explains how the proposed TISA push more dangerous deregulatory policies on Financial services and endangers future financial regulatory capacity of governments.

PSI and OWINFS Releases a Special Report on Trade in Services Agreement (TISA)

15 September, 2014
Public Services International (PSI)
On the occasion of Global Trade Summit convened by PSI and it's affiliates in Washington, D.C., on 15-17 September 2014, PSI and Our World is not For Sale (OWINFS) launched a new Special Report by Ellen Gould entitled "The Really Good Friends of Transnational Corporations Agreement" on the first day of the Global Summit. The report was launched with the objective to overcome the secrecy and complexity surrounding the negotiations on trade in services agreement (TISA) and bring it into the public sphere for a democratic debate.

Secret TISA deal puts public services at risk around the world - Public Services International

19 June, 2014
Press Release by Public Services International (PSI)
The Public Services International, a global trade union federation reiterates its opposition to Trade In Services Agreement, in the backdrop of WikiLeaks release of TISA - Financial Services Annex text

Wikileaks Expose Secret Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) - Financial Services Annex

19 June, 2014
Press Release by Wikileaks
The WikiLeaks just published the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) - Financial Service annex text. It confirms the concerns expressed by civil society organizations on TISA.

What's Going on at the WTO? : Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting

18 November, 2013
The Huffington Post
In this critical blog Deborah James, Director, International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, writes on some of the key messages from the Global civil society, trade unions and people's movements on What's Going on at the WTO? Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting.

International Civil Society Sends Letter to Governments Opposing Proposed “Trade in Services Agreement (TISA)”

16 September, 2013
Today, as governments meet in Geneva to negotiate a proposed Trade in Services Agreement (TISA), 341 organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people from nearly every developing and developed country, called on governments to abandon the talks. Among the endorsers were 42 major international and regional networks such as Public Services International (PSI), UNI Global Union, the European Federation of Public Services Unions (EPSU), the IndustriALL Global Union, the International Union of Food and Allied Workers (IUF), and the ATTAC European network. The letter was organized by the OWINFS network.

The twists and turns of the Doha talks and the WTO - Martin Khor, South Centre

28 October, 2012
Speech of Martin Khor at OWINFS Panel at the WTO Public Forum, September 26, 2012 analyses what the future holds for the WTO, in particular in relation to the development dimension, and the interests of the developing countries.

BITs, FTAs and damaging effects of their investment chapters

2 October, 2012
The damaging effects of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and the investment chapters of North-South Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) were highlighted at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum event on "Investment provisions and agreements: What is the right 21st century approach?" jointly organised by Our World Is Not for Sale Network, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Public Citizen on Tuesday, 26 September 2012.

BITs ‘not decisive in attracting investment', says South Africa

27 September, 2012
South Africa's Deputy Director General from the Department of Trade and Industry, Mr. Xavier Carim, remarked that 'South African government's experience has shown that there was no clear relationship between signing Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and increased inflows of FDI' at a WTO Public Forum event on international investment agreements organized by OWINFS on 25 September 2012.

UN: North's bailouts destroyed trading system's playing field, says Stiglitz

29 June, 2009
SUNS #6729

New York, 26 Jun (Bhumika Muchhala) -- The bailouts given to companies in developed countries have destroyed the framework of the multilateral trading system for a level playing field, according to the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

 

Speaking at the UN conference on the global financial and economic crisis, Stiglitz said that the massive bailouts and stimulus programmes of the rich countries have "destroyed the framework for an international and multilateral global playing field for trade."

 

Tubo-charging investor sovereignty: investment agreements and corporate colonialism

9 February, 2006
Nicholas Hildyard, The Corner House, UK; Greg Muttitt, PLATFORM, UK
For corporate investors, the body of project and financial law is a frontier against which they continually aim to advance. Reconstruction of a country

Keep Investment Pacts Off Cancun's Agenda

6 July, 2003
Kavaljit Singh, Financial Times
Since the 1980s, developing countries have signed numerous bilateral investment agreements, yet they receive less than one-third of the world's total foreign direct investment flows.

3rd World Activists Debate Biotech Industry& US Gov't In Sacramento

23 June, 2003
Mike Lee, Sacramento Bee
An eclectic crowd of nearly 1,000 filled the Crest Theater Monday night for the only public debate in conjunction with this week's international agriculture conference at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Free Trade Myths Behind Push For WTO Investment Agreement Exposed

22 June, 2003
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The European Union has been the driving force behind calls for an investment agreement through the WTO, with the European Commission claiming this will bring development benefits to recipient countries.

WTO Symposium Debates Investment Issue

16 June, 2003
Third World Network
Several NGO representatives analysed what they called the 'myths' surrounding the proposed investment agreement in the WTO, and called for Ministers to decide against negotiating an agreement.