WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/WGTI/W/117
3 May 2002
(02-2533)
Working Group on the Relationship
between Trade and InvestmentOriginal:  English/
Spanish
COMMUNICATION FROM MEXICO
The following communication, dated 1 May 2002, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Mexico with the request that it be circulated to Members.
_______________
As mentioned during the meetings of the Working Group on the Relationship between Trade
and Investment on 18 and 19 April, in the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) initiatives for the improvement of trade and investment in the region and of the activities
relating to Mexico's chairmanship of APEC in 2002, Mexico has organized a "Workshop on Regional
and Bilateral Investment Rules/Agreements", to take place in Mérida, Mexico, on 17 and
18 May 2002.
The purpose of this event is to hold informal discussions and round tables with a view to
reaching a better understanding of topics relating to investment agreements on the basis of a
programme of common interest to the APEC economies.
Accordingly, the workshop will seek to provide a forum in which participants are able to
acquire a better understanding of the Doha Ministerial mandate in the field of investment and todiscuss how the APEC economies can contribute to th e Doha Development Agenda.  Session 5 of this
workshop will focus on assessing the benefits and challenges of a multilateral framework on
investment and considering ways of contributing to the work of the WTO leading up to the 5
th
Ministerial Conference.
I am therefore pleased to inform you that in view of the particular relevance of the workshop
to the WTO Working Group on the Relationship betw een Trade and Investment, my Government has
hereby decided to extend a cordial invitation to all delegations of that Group.
I would be grateful if you would circulate this invitation and the attached provisional agenda
of the workshop to Members of the Working Group.  To facilitate this task, I have sent these
documents to you in electronic form with an instruction to complete the registration form
electronically.WT/WGTI/W/117
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ANNEX
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Background
The crucial importance of foreign investment is widely recognised all over the world. Foreign
investment is seen both as the global market's "seal of approval" on a country's policies and prospects.
It is far more than mere "capital": it is a uniquely potent bundle of capital, contacts and managerial
and technological knowledge. It is the cutting edge of globalisation. Foreign investment is not an
entitlement; it flows to countries where there is a reasonable rate of return on capital, stability, pro-business environment, and adequate protection.
One of the initiatives arisen from APEC Leaders Meeting at Blake Island, Seattle (1993) was the
development of an Investment C ode of Non-binding principles, which was materialized in Jakarta
(November 1994) with the APEC Non Binding Inve stment  Principles. The Bogor Declaration ( 1994)
has, as an objective, the enhancement of trade a nd investment in the Asia-Pacific and a long-term goal
of free and open investment: “This goal will be pursued promptly by further reducing barriers to trade
and investment and by promoting the free flow of goods, services, and capital among our economies”.
The Osaka Action Agenda (1995) establishes in the specific guidelines for Investment, that each APEC
economy will: “explore expansion of APEC’s network of bilateral investment agreements”.
Objectives
In pursuing these premises, the Workshop is designed:
− To have informal discussion and, roundtable debates, conducive towards gaining a greater
understanding of the issues relevant to investment agreements, based on a program of
common interest to member economies.
− To have a better understanding on what investment agreements are, how they can be used as
an effective instrument for foreign investment promotion and protection.
− To provide a useful forum to address best policy practices/instruments in APEC member
economies concerning investment protection and;
− To explore the possibility to expand AP EC’s network of investment agreements.
WT/WGTI/W/117
Page 3
WORKSHOP ON REGIONAL AND BILATERAL
INVESTMENT RULES / AGREEMENTS
CTI 06/2002T
DRAFT ANNOTATED AGENDA
MAY 17 AND 18, MÉRIDA, MEXICO
May 17
Morning
09:30 – 10:00
Opening Ceremony
Keynote speech by a high level officer from the Mexican Government.
10:00 – 11:00Session One
“International Capital Flows: Recent Trends and future perspectives ”
Speaker:
Ms. Padma Mallampally, Se nior Adviser, UNCTAD:  “Global and APEC FDI trends”.
Direct investment has accounted for about a quarter of total international capital outflows in the
1990s and appears to have grown, relative to other forms of international investment, since the 1970s.
The main purpose of this session is to obtain a picture of the current FDI flows’ behavior worldwide,
the determinants of FDI flows in developed and de veloping countries, FDI concentration, greenfield
FDI, Mergers & Acquisitions and comparative data.
11:00 – 11:30
Coffee break
11:30 – 12:30
Session two
“APEC instruments relevant to In ternational Rules on Investment .”
Speaker:
1. Dr. Taeho Bark, IEG Chairman. APEC. “Harmonisation of APEC investment instruments
with investment agreements of APEC economies”
Investment has been at the heart of APEC and central to the development and dynamism of APEC
economies. At this session we seek to discuss th e links between APEC investment instruments and
other agreements on investment.WT/WGTI/W/117
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Afternoon
14:30 – 16:30
Session three
“Regional initiatives on inve stment, regional policy and regulatory trends and their
causes.”
Speakers:
1. Marinus W. Sikkel, Chairman, Committee on In vestment and Multinational Enterprises,
OECD.   “Lessons from the OECD”.
2. William A. Dymond, Carleton University, Canada.  “Investment rules in NAFTA”.
3. Carlos  Herrera, General Secretary of the National Commission of Foreign Investments and
Technology Government of Peru.  “Investment Rules in the Andean Community”.
Commentator: Mr. Carlos García Fernández,  Dire ctor General of Foreign Investment, Ministry of
Economy, Mexico.
Regional agreements are increasingly important in matters of FDI. It has been fully demonstrated
that international trade and investment have been closely related since the beginning of theglobalisation process. On this session  we would seek to discuss the interrelation and interaction
between investment and trade rules in the regional context.
May 18
Morning
09:00 – 12:00 (with a coffee break from 10:30 – 11:00)
Session four
“General Features of Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements signed by the
APEC Economies”.
Speakers:
1. Prof. M. Sornarajah, National University of Singapore . “Scope and Key Definitions of
Investment Agreements”
2. Andrea Menaker, Attorney Advisor, NAFTA Arbitration Division, Office of International
Claims and Disputes, Office of the Legal  Advisor, U.S. Department of State.   “Standards of
Treatment: National Treatment, Most Favored Nation Treatment and Minimum Standards of
Treatment”
3. Mr. Alejandro Buvinic. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile . “Protection and Guarantees in
Investment Agreements”WT/WGTI/W/117
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4. Mr. Ricardo Ramírez H., Deputy Director General of the Legal Counsel, Ministry of
Economy, Mexico.  “Investor - State Settlement of International Investment Disputes. Recent
cases and interpretations.”
Commentator: Mr. Stephen Brereton, Investment  Trade Policy Division, Department of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade, Canada.
An international legal framework for FDI has emer ged. It consists of many kinds of national and
international rules and principles, of diverse form  and origin. The entire structure rests on the twin
foundations of national laws and regulations and on a multitude of international investment
agreements and other legal instruments.
The main purpose of this session is to focus on the analysis of the different disciplines covered in
investment agreements and their interpretation.
Afternoon
14:00 – 16:00
Session Five
“The interrelation and interaction of Bilateral/Regional and multilateral investment
rules”.
Speakers:
1. Mr. Raymundo E. Enriquez, Partner Baker & Mckenzie, Mexico.  “The contribution of
uniform international investment rules to a predictable investment environment.”
2. Prof. Julio Faundez, University of Warwick, United Kingdom.     “Assessing the benefits and
challenges of a multilateral framework on investment”
3. Martha Lara Economic Affairs Officer in the Trade and Finance Division, World Trade
Organisation.  “Understanding the Doha mandate: how APEC can contribute to achieve
WTO’s goals?
In the past two decades, there have been  significant changes in international policies on foreign
direct investment. These changes have been both cause and effect in the ongoing integration of the
world economy and the changing role of FDI in it.  They have found expression in national laws and
practices and in a variety of international instruments, bilateral regional and multilateral.
Given that the recent events confirmed that investment will be discussed in the next WTO Ministerial
Conference, in this session could be worthy to evaluate the main connections (interrelation and
interaction) of bilateral/regional and multilateral investment rules.
Commentator:  Someone from Mexico
16:15
Concluding Session.
__________