Archived press release

Public-Private Partnerships to Save the World?

5 April 2002

United Nations, New York:
Friends of the Earth today slammed the UK Government, the EU, and governments from other industrialised countries for putting big business before people and the environment during the preparations for this year's "Earth Summit". The environment group warned that the Johannesburg meeting looked set to become "the world's largest trade fair", unless governments seized the opportunity to address the negative aspects of corporate-led globalisation.

This weekend, the third preparatory meeting for the Earth Summit [1] will draw to a close at the United Nations headquarters in New York. There is only one more such meeting prior to the summit itself, due to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2002.

The preparatory meetings are held so that when world leaders arrive in Johannesburg, they are able to sign up to documents that present a clear vision on environment and development issues, and a clear set of actions and initiatives.

With less than five months to go, the proposals are currently big on platitudes but short on commitments, targets or plans for action. But the documents do contain detailed references- inserted by the EU, the US, and other industrialised countries - to the need for "public/private partnerships" as a way of delivering environmental protection and poverty eradication. The US has also proposed recognising "the important role that multinational enterprises play in sustainable development".

If adopted, the existing proposals could pave the way for large environment and development contracts going to the world's largest firms. And yet there is currently no language that will place binding responsibilities or duties on trans-national corporations, with respect to their social and environmental impacts. Instead, the text suggests that “voluntary agreements" with business can achieve this goal.

Friends of the Earth has proposed a binding Corporate Accountability Convention as a way of ensuring people and the planet come before corporate profits. The environment group has called on world leaders to seize the opportunity at the Earth Summit to begin negotiations.

Craig Bennett, Corporates Campaigner for Friends of the Earth said:
"When fat-cat shareholders and financial institutions are hurt by dodgy corporate dealings - as in the case of Enron - politicians rush to intervene, demanding prosecutions and tougher laws. But when it is ordinary people or the environment that suffer, politicians go for a 'voluntary approach', allowing business as usual.

Now the EU, the US and other rich governments are conspiring to turn the Earth Summit into the world's largest trade fair. If they get their way, Blair's beloved public-private partnerships will go global, with big business dominating almost every aspect of life, from agriculture, to water provision and education.

They are doing everything to increase the market opportunities available to big business, but nothing to force them to behave in more responsible way. While it is important that Prime Minister Tony Blair is going to Johannesburg, is he going to save the planet, or to bring in the contracts for big business?"

Notes:

1. The current meeting in New York started on March 25th and is scheduled to end on April 5th. It is the third global meeting preparing the Johannesburg Summit, which takes place from August 26th to September 4th to review progress made on sustainable development in the 10 years since the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992. The negotiating text and all official information can be found at www.johannesburgsummit.org

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust