As UN's Ban Partners with Statoil Despite Oil Sands and Angola, Indigenous and Weaver Hit Brazil on Dams

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/ban1statoil042810.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 28 -- The UN picked Statoil as its poster child to Wednesday launch the report of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change. Inner City Press asked Statoil CEO Helge Lund about his company's move to oil sands -- being criticized this week by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues -- to drilling Marcellus shale, criticized for pollution, and financial criticism for projects in Angola, Libya and Nigeria. Video here, from Minute 30:13.

Mr. Lund's response to these specifics was to claim that Statoil is "transparent, open," then to speak about carbon emissions. But the critique of oil sands is not only about emissions, but the destruction of the land and driving indigenous people off.

Likewise, the criticism of Statoil in for example Angola was a lack of transparency and openness, working with local firms connected to government officials.

Mr. Ban left his press conference before any questions could be asked. But Inner City Press asked Achim Steiner, recently re-appointed by Mr. Ban to head UNEP, to explain what standards the UN applies and how it selects companies to be on its podium.

Steiner replied that people are on the Advisory Committee in their personal capacities. But Lars Josefsson the CEO of Vattenfall, a company moving ever more into fossil fuel development, bragged that his membership on the UN Committee reflects on Vattenfall's practices. Inner City Press has raised this to a number of UN officials, including Ban's "global goods" aide Bob Orr, but nothing has been done.

Steiner referred to the UN Global Compact, telling Inner City Press "you are more familiar with it than most." But that has been without the assistance or even consent of Compact leadership. Outside the most recent Compact board meeting in New York, Compact director Georg Kell told Inner City Press "you can't quote anyone here," or even ask them questions.

Only because Ban's Group of Friends on Myanmar was meeting next door was Inner City Press able to ask if there would be a Compact press availability. No, was the answer. What was that, about openness and transparency?

Later on Wednesday, indigenous people and the actress Signourey Weaver protected outside Brazil's mission to the UN, against the Belo Monte dam. Fox News was there -- incongruous, some said, until they remembered that Lulu is thought to be a left leaning president -- as well as a slew of photographers and paparazzi waiting for Ms. Weaver.

She arrived an hour late, but then spoke with conviction, how after the film Avatar indigenous groups had contacted Avatar director James Cameron. On Saturday Cameron told the Press that in preparing the movie, he had "read books" on indigenous beliefs. Now, he and Ms. Weaver seem to be listening to the indigenous. Oh that this were true of Statoil. Or of the Executive Office of the Secretary General of the UN, at least on oil sands, for that matter.\

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ban1statoil042810.html

As UN Descends Toward Slopenhagen, Of Vattenfall's Abuse and Stakeout Post Hoc Games

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/uncope4offmessage110909.html

UNITED NATIONS, November 9 -- If an agreement is not binding, can you be said to seal the deal? This question was put Monday to the UN's climate change advisor Janos Pasztor, who until recently was calling for a legally binding agreement at the Copenhagen talks in December.

Now Pasztor echoes Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's retreat to a "politically binding" agreement, as phrased most recently in London: " if we agree on a strong politically-binding commitment that will be I think a reasonable success." Toward that goal, apparently, Ban travels to Washington on November 10.

Inner City Press asked Pasztor when it occurred to the UN Secretariat that a legally binding -- that is, a binding -- agreement would not be possible: before or after they said Yvo de Boer was incompletely quoted when he said precisely that? Video here, from Minute 26:12. There was not a specific month, Pasztor answered genially. A few weeks ago.

It's been a slippery slope, one commented, from Jeffery Sachs to Yvo de Boer to this. A slippery Slopenhagen indeed.

Inner City Press asked about the reported walk-out by African countries from the last negotiating session in Barcelona. Pasztor was, as always, relentlessly upbeat, saying they did not walk out of Barcelena (certainly not the city, one wag whispered) but only some meetings -- and then they "walked back" in. So all's fine?

Noting that the SealTheDeal2010 web site, unlike its 2009 version, is not in UN hands, Inner City Press asked if the campaign would morph. Video here, from Minute 30:30. No, Pasztor said, we must have a deal in 2009 in Copenhagen. But is a deal that is not legally binding a deal at all?

Pasztor on November 6 attended a meeting of the Secretary General's Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change, in the UN's basement. Yvo de Boer was listed as "not participating," and Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu as participating only by teleconference. That was better than the CEO of Vattenfall, a company which has said publicly its use of coal will actually increase in the next few years.

As Inner City Press has raised to Pasztor and UN global goods guru Bob Orr, Vattenfall put out a press release stating that CEO Lars Josefsson's selection by Ban meant the company has a good environmental record. Both have said such claims are inappropriate, and the CEOs are selected and must attend in their personal capacity.

Apparently, Vattenfall has never been disciplined or retracted its claim using the UN. And on November 6, the list of participatants lists "Arne Mogren (on behalf of Lars Josefsson)." What was that about CEOs attending personally?

Listed among "additional participants (consultants and advisors to principals)" was Reid Detchon, a vice president with an NGO, the UN Foundation. Who would he -- or they -- be advising?

Footnote: While some NGOs are invited in, another was escorted away from the General Assembly stakeout on November 5, and had UN passes stripped. On November 9, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesperson Michele Montas when NGOs can speak at the stakeout. Video here, from Minute 17:31.

When they are sponsored by Member States, she said, then added "or Observer Missions," a reference to Palestine's Riyad Mansour and his guests from Jerusalem who spoke at the Security Council stakeout on November 6.

Montas even defended the stakeout of Mia Farrow, as a "UNICEF Special Ambassador." But what about Polisario, which had the plug pulled while it spoke? What about HRW, after the Human Rights Council elections? Which Member States invited them to the stakeout? And was that known in the heat of the moment, or only made up afterwards?

And see, www.innercitypress.com/uncope4offmessage110909.html

At UN, Greenwashing Evaded, Vattenfall Uses UN, African Position Marginalized

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un3climate092209.html

UNITED NATIONS, September 22 -- On the UN's climate change day, corporations ranging from Duke Energy to De Beers came and were praised as leaders. From a closely guarded meeting in the UN's dining room, five panelists descended to tell the Press how well it is all doing.

Inner City Press asked what standards the UN has, to allow oil companies like Shell and BP and Respol to engage in what some call greenwashing through the UN Global Compact, which recently rejected a complaint by 80 civil society groups about Global Compact member PetroChina's involvement in Darfur. Video here, from Minute 47:26.

Two responses to this question were offered, after panelist Al Gore declined to answer it. UN moderator and "global goods" maven Robert Orr add that the UN wants to work with all companies, and that there is a trend of companies they work with getting better. The head of Calvert Investment Barbara Krumsiek acknowledged that the companies attending are doing so from self interest, but that "appropriate steps" should be taken where companies' actions "are not positive." But are they?

Afterwards, Inner City Press asked Orr about the case of Vattenfall, whose CEO Lars Josefsson claimed that his inclusion in one of Ban Ki-moon climate and energy advisory boards mean that Vattenfall has a great environmental record. Orr nodded, but it is not clear that anyone has made or even asked Josefsson and Vattenfall to retract the claim the UN calls inappropriate.

Inner City Press asked asked about the African Union figure of $67 billion per year in climate charge compensation and reparations. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he wouldn't discuss particularly numbers, but he expected this was going talk about in the UN's Monday roundtables.

But when Inner City Press asked UN climate expert Janos Pasztor if such discussions were taking place, he said there are many numbers, and refused to say. He said what is needed is not a payment, but a new framework. Good luck.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un3climate092209.html