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tuesday 3rd september
us plots to undermine key summit
outcome
(or how to sabotage a summit, part
2)
The US Government is attempting to
undermine one of the most significant
outcomes of the Johannesburg Earth Summit
Friends of the Earth reveals today. It plans
to reverse the commitment on business
accountability by writing an opt-out in an
obscure footnote called the ‘Letter of
Interpretation”. The move was condemned by
Friends of the Earth as ‘forked tongue
diplomacy’.
The US agreed, in negotiations with the
rest of the world, to develop and implement
intergovernmental agreements on corporate
responsibility and accountability [1]. But it
is now trying to weaken the commitment by
ensuring a “Letter of Interpretation” which
accompanies the whole agreement includes a
statement that says the section relates only
to ‘existing’ agreements. In other words
spiking any attempts to develop new, binding
rules to hold big business to account for bad
practices.
The US move is being seen by other
delegations as an attempt to neutralise a key
agreement of the Summit.
Matt Phillips of Friends of the Earth
said:
“Colin Powell had his fingers crossed when
he agreed to hold American big businesses to
account. There are bad business practices
around the world and people suffer as a
result. Governments supposedly took a step
towards binding corporate accountability, but
it looks as though the US was engaging in
forked tongue diplomacy. The rest of the
world cannot let Colin Powell get away with
it – a footnote should not be able to
undermine the whole deal.”
Notes:
[1] The full agreed text reads: "Actively
promote corporate responsibility and
accountability, based on Rio Principles,
including through the full development and
effective implementation of intergovernmental
agreements and measures, international
initiatives and public-private partnerships,
appropriate national regulations, and
continuous improvement in corporate practices
in all countries."
Contact:
Matt Phillips +44 (0)20 7566 1660 (dir), +44
(0)7817 314 706 (mob)
Craig Bennett +27 (0)72 406 4748
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