Negotiations on a proposed multilateral agreement on investment (MAI) were launched by governments at the Annual Meeting of the OECD Council at Ministerial level in May 1995. The objective was to provide a broad multilateral framework for international investment with high standards for the liberalisation of investment regimes and investment protection and with effective dispute settlement procedures, open to non-OECD countries. Negotiations were discontinued in April 1998 and will not be resumed.

A Negotiating Group held its first meeting on 27 September 1995 with the participation of representatives of the OECD’s then 25 member countries and the European Commission. In a statement, they said the MAI would be a free-standing international treaty open to both OECD countries and non-OECD countries, who were to be consulted as negotiations progressed. Negotiations were discontinued in April 1998, however, and they will not be resumed.

• Draft MAI Negotiating Text (pdf)
  This document consolidates the text of the agreement considered in the course of the MAI negotiations up to the point where they were discontinued in April 1998.
   
• Commentary to the Draft MAI Negotiating Text (pdf)
  This document contains the commentary to the text of the agreement considered in the course of the MAI negotiations.
   
• MAI Document Database
  In February 2002, OECD released a large quantity of documents relating to the negotiations.
   
• International investment agreements  (pdf)
  In October 1997, the Negotiating Group asked the OECD to "examine the relationship between the MAI and existing and proposed multilateral agreements on the environment".  The Negotiating Group's main concern was whether there would be any incompatibilities between the MAI and existing or proposed Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). This paper appraises such compatibility both in a strict legal sense and in a broader context.
   
• International investment agreements  (pdf)
  27 September 1995 - News release announcing the beginning of negotiations on a multilateral agreement on investment.