By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ungc1bayerfesto100609.html
UNITED NATIONS, October 6 -- The UN Global Compact, which has already rebuffed activists' complaints about PetroChina and its dealings in Darfur and seems ready to reject complaints against Bayer and its pollution in West Virginia, on Tuesday embraced an ethics manifesto by theologian Hans Kung.
In a heady and surreal session in a 4th floor dining room at the UN, Hans Kung spoke against casino capitalism, but said there was still no consensus against the charging of interest. Along with former IMF chief Michel Camdessus and four others, he has launched the six page "Global Economic Ethic" manifesto.
Inner City Press asked Global Compact chief Georg Kell how this manifesto relates to the Global Compact, which rejected complaints against PetroChina's membership by saying that the wrong subsidiary was named. Might these principles require less legalism and more engagement on the substance, for example on the pending complaint with the Compact against Bayer?
Kell's answer, to "our colleague from the UN press corp," was that "there are no silver bullets." He directed the Press to the Compact's web site's presentation of a project -- sponsored, he noted, by General Electric -- showing how complicated the world is, using sample "dilemmas" about doing business in emerging markets. To those who think this sounds like a defense of PetroChina, or even of employing child labor -- they need the money, don't they? -- we refer to this Compact press release.
The master of ceremonies of the event was Swiss Ambassador Peter Mauer, who called Kung "the best that Switzerland has to offer the world." Not raised was sponsor Norvartis' position against donating any of its research into H1N1 swine flu vaccine to even the poorest countries. Is that the best that Switzerland has to offer the world? Back to Camdessus, some say Switzerland is about to lose its IMF seat. But that's another story.
Footnote: also at the event, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's advisor Jeffrey Sachs spoke of climate change, and said that "we probably will not complete negotiations at Copenhagen." Inner City Press went down to the day's noon briefing and asked:
Inner City Press: Jeffrey Sachs, speaking at this event, the Global Compact event, said that probably negotiations will not be completed before or at Copenhagen. So I wanted to know is he, is this the Secretariat’s view? Is the seal the deal…?
Spokesperson Michele Montas: No, it’s Mr. Sachs’ view.
Inner City Press: It’s his own personal view?
Spokesperson Montas: Yes
Back upstairs at the event, one of Inner City Press' table-mates said of Sachs, never forget the debilitating orders he gave to Russia. Another wag mused that since Ban's deputy envoy to Afghanistan got fired for disagreeing with his boss(es) about fraud in the Afghan election, why would another Ban advisor so casually disagree with Ban's "seal the deal" mantra? Watch this site.
