At
UN,
Ban Tells
Press Rio+20
Not Too
Pro-Corporate,
BofA Is
Laughing?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 29 --
Despite
widespread
criticism of
Rio+20, UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon
appeared
Thursday
afternoon a
story
below his
office in the
UN's North
Lawn building
and said, "Let
me be clear,
Rio Plus 20
was a
success."
Inner
City Press,
which had been
finalizing an
exclusive
story about
Ban's
censoring of
his own report
on Eritrea
using the
computers
twenty yards
or meters
from Ban's UN
TV stakeout,
ran over to
ask a
question.
But
the three
questions
select were
all about
Syria,
allowing Ban
to express or
show concern.
As Ban
prepared to
leave, Inner
City Press
asked if at
least one Rio
question was
permitted.
(There were
other
questions to
be asked, for
example about
one of Ban's
peacekeeping
adviser, an
alleged war
criminal,
dodged earlier
on Thursday.
But fine.)
Ban to his
credit, okay,
just one
question, on
Rio.
So
Inner City
Press asked,
and Ban
Ki-moon
answered, as
later
transcribed by
the
UN:
Inner
City
Press: On the
Rio Plus 20
conference, I
heard what you
said, as
I’m sure you
know that NGOs
like Oxfam
said it was a
hoax,
Greenpeace
called it an
epic failure
and said that
the
corporations
ran wild in
Rio and that
the US and
others blocked
efforts to
stop
mining of the
sea and to
impose human
rights
obligations on
corporations.
I just wonder
– you were
there and
obviously put
a
lot of effort
into it.
What’s your
response to
that critique?
What human
rights
obligations do
you think the
corporations
have?
S-G
Ban
Ki-moon: I am
aware of those
concerns and
criticisms
about the
outcome
document. I
had, on two
occasions,
very extensive
meetings
with members
of civil
society and,
at one point,
I met with
nine
major group
representatives.
These
discussions
were very
extensive
and very
constructive.
I listened
very carefully
to their views
and
their concerns
and I
explained the
position of
the United
Nations, as
well as Member
States. And I
have fully
explained the
contents of
the outcome
document. I
explained to
them that when
I was a young
student, I was
taught by my
teachers to
‘put your head
above the
cloud, but
have your two
feet firmly
grounded on
the soil, on
the
ground.’ If
you don’t do
that, however
ambitious the
ideas you
may have, you
will fall and
you will
tumble. We
have to be
very
practical,
very
realistic.
These are the
outcomes,
result of 193
Member States’
many, many
months’ long
process of
negotiations,
taking into
account all
the
limitations,
all the
constraints
and all
the resources,
and how much
we can do. I
think it is
very fair that
this outcome
document is
very balanced,
concrete and
result-oriented.
As
I
said many
times in the
past, this is
not the end,
this is just
the
beginning. We
have many
important
processes to
follow. First
of
all, we have
to agree on
Sustainable
Development
Goals. Members
States have
made a very
clear timeline
and also they
asked me, as
Secretary-General,
to provide
full support,
including
inputs and
technical and
logistical
support to
this process.
I am going to
establish a
High-Level
Panel of
Eminent
Persons to
present the
visions and
recommendations
for the
post-MDG 2015
visions. And
there
are many
nations, they
have
established
their
high-level
political
fora to follow
up on all of
these
sustainable
development
recommendations,
replacing the
Commission on
Sustainable
Development.
And they have
agreed to
strengthen the
United Nations
Environment
Programme
(UNEP) with
universal
membership,
with steady
and
strengthened
resources
provided. And
there are
many, many
other good
recommendations
with clear
timelines and
very concise
issues.
However, I
made it quite
clear that I
will continue
to listen to
their views.
We will work
together with
civil society.
And, in the
course of the
coming
negotiations
and processes,
we will fully
reflect their
concerns and
views. Thank
you very much.
Ban
praised the
"involvement
[of] the
private
sector,"
saying "these
partnerships
will enable us
to achieve
Sustainable
Energy for All
by
2030."
As Inner City
Press has
previously
highlighted,
Ban named
to lead his
high level
group on
Sustainable
Energy for All
Charles
Holliday, the
chairman of
Bank of
America, the
number one
funder of
mountain top
removal coal
mining, as
well as a
predatory
lender.
Is
THIS
the future we
want?
But we will be
there to
follow the
next steps --
in person,
inside the UN,
hopefully.
Watch this
site.
, 
