On
Climate, UN
Promotes
Cargill &
Saudi Aramco,
BofA &
Credit
Agricole
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 16
-- In the run
up to the UN's
September 23
Climate
Summit, the UN
put out a
media advisory
promoting the
participation
of 14
corporation
ranging from
Saudi Aramco
through Cargill,
McDonald's and
Walmart to
Bank of
America and
Credit
Agricole.
Inner City
Press on
September 16
asked Summit
promoter
Robert Orr how
these 14 were
selected for
listing in the
media
advisory, and
if the UN had
reviewed their
wider record.
For example,
the recent court
decision
involving
Cargill and
child slavery
in Cote
d'Ivoire,
or Saudi
Aramco not
allowing
employees in
Saudi Arabia
to protest.
Orr mentioned
a luncheon
during the
summit about
carbon pricing
and the UN
Global
Compact, which
repeatedly
says it does
not enforce
substantive
standards,
only
encourages
reporting and
dialogue.
Well,
Saudi Aramco
did not respond
to the
complaint
about
“employees
allegedly
dismissed
after being
detained for
participation
in civil
rights
protests in
Saudi Arabia.”
And what of
the
environment?
Bank of
America has
been the
number one
funder of
mountain-top
removal coal
mining, but
Ban Ki-moon
made it
chairman the
chief of his
Sustainable
Energy for All
initiative.
On behalf of
the Free
UN Coalition
for Access,
Inner City
Press asked
that those
making
commitments,
like the 14
corporations
named, hold
question and
answer
sessions
during the
summit. We'll
see.
, 
