Clone of MAI
We have all been very busy fighting many issues. Here is one that some people and me have tried to alert people about for some time already but there were too many things to fight for (and against).Guess the issue: another clone of the MAI at the OECD, most probably to be agreed at the OECD Ministerial meeting in May this year!
This clone is called the Policy Framework for Investment and is a so-called voluntary guideline for how developing countries should treat their investors presumably to support development. This document is an outrageously unbalanced document that aggressively promotes investors rights with little consideration of the rights of citizens, the needs for sustainable development, etc. as usual. Developing countries who were consulted did not dear to argue against it, even not Argentina who does not like it. It will be an informal guideline, read conditionality, for donors and other fora (e.g. it claims the legacy of Monterey) and thus put the MAI into effect informally, and even issues that have not yet been agreed at the WTO and the GATS negotiations!
Some NGOs already gave comments since some time but nothing is reflected in the document. The draft text was put on the OECD website since mid January, which we only found out some time later, for public consultation by 10 February!?!? You can find it at:
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/22/8/35815912.pdf
A few people of OECD Watch, of which SOMO is member, now took the initiative to try and alert people again to oppose this issue. In this very short time, we decided to ask people to write some comments which we will use to write a letter protesting against the claim that civil society helped to develop this framework and giving reasons why. By next Monday, we will distribute a letter that people and organisations can sign on by Friday morning, if they wish. If not, since this is indeed far from an ideal process, they can also write their own protest letters and comments.
Can I ask you if you would have time to look at the document by Friday this week (3 February morning) to give some comments or other wise let me know who to contact of all those who were protesting against the MAI.
Please let me know how it would be possible to gather many signatures or other ways of protests in this short time notice.
Hoping you have some time to look at it or distribute it to others,
Warmest regards,
Myriam Vander Stichele
SOMO