By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/unhcr1nestle111509.html
UNITED NATIONS, November 15 -- The UN's refugee agency appears poised to announce a partnership with Nestle, despite a slew of concerns about the company's practices.
In only the last month at UN Headquarters in New York, Nestle has been named in connection with child labor in Cote d'Ivoire and abusive water practices.
Tellingly, it is under the rubric of "water projects" and not nutrition that UNHCR is preparing to justify what some call its "blue washing" of Nestle.
On November 13, Inner City Press asked UNHCR these questions:
Has UNHCR been in communication with Nestle about some form of partnership? Please describe and quantify, including in dollars or Euros. Is the plan to announce this partnership next week? Which day?
Has UNHCR considered such issues as (1) Nestle being named, including in a recent UN press conference, as less than a leader on the issue of child labor? (2) Nestle being alleged to violate the UN International Code of marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, violations of which have been recognized as violations of the child’s right to the highest attainable standard of health (Convention on the Rights of the Child)?
UNHCR's director of communications Melissa Fleming responded late on November 13, near midnight Geneva time, that
"Dear Matthew, This is all I have for you at this stage: We are in discussion with Nestle about cooperation on future projects that will help deliver clean water and support small scale farming initiatives for refugees."
Nestle, under fire for its participating in the UN's CEO Water Mandate as well as UN Global Compact, has a history of paying money to try to make problems go away. Previously it demanded compensation from Ethiopia for a subsidiary nationalized decades ago, then tried to diminish the backlash with a donation to UNHCR.
Campaigners note that UNICEF refuses Nestle's money due to the company's violations of the UN International Code of marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes.
Another UNHCR spokesperson put out a more detailed spin of accepting Nestle's money, "UNHCR have worked on and off with Nestle since 2003 when they funded a water project in eastern Ethiopia for refugees and local villagers. Nestle joined UNHCR's Council of Business Leaders in Jan. 2005. We are in discussions to expand a partnership on water, sanitation and livelihood development."
While UNHCR has refused to put a financial value on past and proposed payments to it from Nestle, the Ethiopia donation was reportedly in connection with the $6 million that Nestle demanded from Ethiopia. After backlash, Nestle said it would donate the money it had demanded. Oxfam refused to accept the "blood money." Then as now, UNHCR provided a bluewashing safe haven for Nestle. Watch this site.And see, www.innercitypress.com/unhcr1nestle111509.html
