OECD Declaration and Decisions on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises

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Permanent url www.oecd.org/daf/investment/declaration

The 1976 Declaration is a policy commitment by the governments of OECD member countries on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises to:

improve the investment climate
encourage the positive contribution multinational enterprises can make to economic and social progress
minimise and resolve difficulties which may arise from their operations

All parts of the Declaration are subject to periodical reviews. The most recent review - completed in June 2000 - concerned the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.

All 30 OECD member countries, and eleven non-member countries have subscribed to the Declaration:

Argentina (22 April 1997)
Brazil (14 November 1997)
Chile (3 October 1997)
Egypt (11 July 2007)
Estonia (20 September 2001)
Israel (18 September 2002)
Latvia (9 January 2004)
Lithuania (20 September 2001)
Peru (25 July 2008)
Romania (20 April 2005)
Slovenia (22 January 2002)

The Declaration consists of four elements (each underpinned by a Decision by the OECD Council on follow-up procedures:

The Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises are recommendations on responsible business conduct addressed by governments to multinational enterprises operating in or from adhering countries. Observance of the Guidelines is supported by a unique implementation mechanism: adhering governments - through their network of National Contact Points - are responsible for promoting the Guidelines and helping to resolve issues that arise under the specific instances procedures.
National Treatment: A voluntary undertaking by adhering countries to accord to foreign-controlled enterprises on their territories treatment no less favourable than that accorded in like situations to domestic enterprises.
Conflicting requirements: Adhering countries shall co-operate so as to avoid or minimise the imposition of conflicting requirements on multinational enterprises;
International investment incentives and disincentives : adhering countries recognise the need to give due weight to the interest of adhering countries affected by laws and practices in this field; they will endeavour to make measures as transparent as possible.

Download the full text of the Declaration and Decisions in pdf or word file format.