WHEREAS the Multilateral
Agreement on Investments (MAI) is a pending global trade agreement
which will require
signatory governments to relinquish a degree of sovereignty to multinational
corporations;
and
WHEREAS the MAI
is being negotiated in secret under the auspices of the Organization for
Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), a grouping of the world's 29 wealthiest
countries; and
WHEREAS the MAI
will require governments to provide equal treatment for domestic and foreign
businesses,
meaning that laws offering preferential treatment to businesses or organizations
in a given
locale or situation
would be subject to lawsuits to be heard in courts and as-of-yet unnamed
international
tribunals, opening them up to unlimited liability for the continuation
of democratically
created laws;
and
WHEREAS the MAI
is intended to apply to all levels of government (national, regional, local,
community) regardless
of whether or not the governmental body in question ratified the treaty,
meaning that
local ordinances may be challenged by multinational corporations; and
WHEREAS many
public and academic libraries receive the majority of their funding from
governmental
bodies, who will be constrained in the policy-making arena by the threat
of foreign
corporations
taking legal action against them if they feel local interests are being
placed ahead of their
"rights"; and
WHEREAS the MAI
will apply retroactively to contracts and laws implemented before the MAI
is
ratified; and
WHEREAS the MAI
is anti-democratic and gives multinational corporations rights that citizens
to
not have while
absolving them of most responsibilities; and
WHEREAS libraries
and librarians are vital components in maintaining democratic systems by
providing the
information needed to maintain an informed and involved populace, and so
have a
significant
stake in rebuffing attacks on democracy and the power of citizens to control
their lives;
and
WHEREAS the British
Columbia Library Association Executive has already voiced its opposition
to MAI; therefore
be it
RESOLVED that
the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association
declares its
opposition to the continued negotiation of the MAI until such time as the
negotiations are
opened up to
representation by developing countries and by non-governmental organizations
dedicated to
protecting intellectual freedom, environmental, labor and consumer interests;
and be it
further
RESOLVED that
SRRT urges the ALA Council, current President, and Presidents-Elect to
publicly oppose
MAI as a threat to democratic values, local autonomy, and human rights.
Passed by SRRT
Action Council, 6/27/98
Washington DC
cc ALA Council
B. Ford
A. K. Symons
S. Long
Library press
British Columbia
Library Association
Bill Clinton
United States
Trade Representative
U.S. Senate
Foreign Relations Committee
U.S. House Foreign
Relations Committee