At
UN,
Praises Sung
of Shell &
Anglo-American,
FT Softball Qs
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 28 --
When Mark
Moody-Stuart appeared
against the
background of
the East River
with Wall
Street behind
it on April
28,
it was a UN
classic event:
faux
interview,
self-congratulation
and critical
questions not
taken.
Moody-Stuart
largely
sung the
praises of
Shell Oil and
then
Anglo-American.
A
Financial
Times
journalist was
brought it to
toss soft ball
questions
and then pick,
along with a
UN Global
Compact
staffer,
questions from
the floor.
These
consisted of
questions
like, How can
you expand the
Global
Compact,
and what do
responsible
companies like
Shell do with
corrupt
governments?
One chosen
questioner
didn't himself
disclose that
he is
on a board of
the Global
Compact;
another was a
UN official.
Inner
City Press
indicated that
it wanted to
ask a
question, even
directly
approached the
question-distributor,
who nodded.
But no
question was
ever allowed.
When it ended
and Inner City
Press walked
out, a
"business and
ethics" scribe
approached
saying he had
interviewed
Moody-Stuart
at some length
earlier in the
day. Inner
City Press
asked: did you
ask about the
global
financial
meltdown
caused by
predatory
lending?
Apparently
not. Moody Stuart
is a director
of HSBC.
It
should be
noted that the
UN
uses as its
bank JP Morgan
Chase,
even as
a
draft
resolution by
the Group of
77 circulated
condemning
Chase for
essentially
diplomatic
redlining.
Critical
questions were
not taken:
there were a
stack of books
to be
promoted, and
a lot of backs
to be
patted.
There may have
been some
improvements
at the Global
Compact, such
as a described
working group
on remittances
that might
address such
issues as Barclays'
Somalia cut
off. But
this type of
controlled
Q&A and
self
congratulation
is indicative
of continued
blue-washing.
Watch this
site.
, 
