On
Donations,
HABITAT Cites
Compact, UN
Defers on
Samsung,
Censors' Set?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 9 --
How does or
should the UN
"partner"
with big
private
businesses?
The question
arose recently
when
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon used a
two-question
stakeout about
sustainable
energy to
praise Shell
Oil and Bank
of America,
implicated in
the 2008
predatory
lending
meltdown.
On
Monday, Inner
City Press
asked Ban's
spokesperson,
and UN-HABITAT
chief Joan
Clos, about
being
intertwined
with Samsung,
Ericsson, even
TomTom.
Clos
replied that
UN-HABITAT
only partners
or accepts
donations or
staff
from
corporation
which are
members of the
UN Global
Compact. But
is
that enough?
Can companies
use their
contributions
as a basis for
advertising,
even an
implicit claim
of endorsement
by the UN?
The
Samsung
question is
closer to
home, right in
the UN
Headquarters.
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesperson
Martin Nesirky
about a
donation of
television
screens or
sets by
Samsung, where
the UN
reports the
donations it
gives, and the
terms. He said
he would
check.
Even
before this
interim answer
was given,
another one
cut in from
long time
member of the
United Nations
Correspondents
Association,
which as Inner
City Press
has
reported
decided to
accept a
Samsung
television
screen after
being assured
there is no
conflict of
interest by
none other
than the
UN itself.
While
the question
Monday was not
put to the
UNCA
representatives
in and
next to their
labeled "Holy
Seat," the
hissed reply
seemed
to be that
UNCA is not
accepting a
television
screen -- does
that
mean not
accepting any
free TV
labeled
"Samsung," or
arguing that
it is being
lent by the UN
out of a
donation from
Samsung?
UNCA
under its 2013
and apparently
2014 president
Pamela Falk
sent out
this
explanation,
provided to
Inner City
Press by an
outraged or
disgusted UNCA
member:
"There
was discussion
about whether
or not UNCA
should receive
a donation
from Samsung
and whether or
not a Mission
was involved.
DPI was able
to clarify the
donation
information,
which does not
involve a
mission. This
note was
received: This
is to confirm
that once we
get the
donations from
Samsung to the
UN,
DPI will loan
a TV screen to
UNCA to
replace one of
your old ones."
Is
this going
forward? And
when will the
UN answer the
questions
asked
Monday at
noon,
including
about the
protests in
South Korea
about
Samsung
exposing its
workers to
environmental
diseases?
From
the Korea
Times in
September of
this year:
The
Lawyers for
Democratic
Society and a
labor rights
group of
Samsung
Electronics
have written
to the United
Nations about
occupational
diseases among
the company’s
employees.
The
organizations
told a press
conference in
front of
Samsung Group
headquarters
in southern
Seoul on
Wednesday that
the move was
designed to
pressure
Samsung and
the Korean
Government to
take
responsibility
for
occupational
diseases and
the damage
they caused
to victims and
their
families.
“The
occurrence of
occupational
diseases and
their
consequences
are clear
violations of
labor rights,
and the UN
must be made
aware of this
development,”
said a
spokesperson
for the
protesting
groups.
There
are numerous
avenues of
complaints and
petitions that
protesters can
file with the
UN, but the
Korean groups
chose to put
their
allegations in
a letter.
The
letter alleges
Samsung has
been
withholding
the results of
tests and
evaluations in
suspected
cases of
occupational
diseases.
It
says Ministry
of Employment
and Labor have
failed to stop
workers
being exposed
to harmful
chemicals and
other
hazardous
substances,
and that
tougher
initiatives
are needed to
protect
workers’
rights.
Also
in that
HABITAT
portion of the
briefing,
Inner City
Press asked
Clos
about
HABITAT's work
in the
Philippines
after Typhoon
Haiyan. He
said
they have an
office there,
then continued
that in
planning a
city
(like, say,
Tacloban) it
is important
that 30% be
set aside for
public space,
rather than
the two to ten
percent that
happens under
"spontaneous"
development.
We'll see.
Watch this
site.
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