Reclaim the UN from corporate capture

The document examines the increasing influence of multinational corporations and business lobby groups within the UN system, particularly in the lead-up to the Rio+20 summit. It argues that this 'corporate capture' shifts the UN's focus from sustainable development and human rights toward market-based solutions that benefit the private sector. Through a series of case studies, the report highlights how initiatives like the 'Green Economy', 'Sustainable Energy for All' (SE4ALL), and the UN Global Compact facilitate 'greenwashing' and 'bluewashing', allowing companies to avoid regulation while gaining privileged access to policy-making. The authors call for a fundamental overhaul of UN decision-making processes, including the removal of business representatives from national delegations and the establishment of a legally binding framework for corporate accountability.

• The UN is experiencing a 'corporate takeover' characterized by business representatives dominating discussion spaces, UN officials moving between the public and private sectors, and UN agencies becoming financially dependent on the private sector.
• The 'Green Economy' concept promoted by UNEP is criticized for prioritizing economic growth and market-based approaches over sustainable development, effectively treating nature as a tradable commodity.
• The Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative is led by an unaccountable group dominated by fossil fuel and corporate interests, risking the promotion of 'dirty' energy systems under the guise of sustainability.
• The partnership between the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is accused of promoting agribusiness interests and biotechnology, such as GM crops, over agroecological approaches.
• Corporate influence within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is pushing the agreement toward market-based solutions, such as the Green Development Mechanism (GDM), which allows companies to offset biodiversity loss through credits.
• UN water policy is being influenced by private sector interests seeking to commodify water, which threatens the universal human right to water and sanitation.
• The UN Global Compact is described as a 'bluewashing' tool because it is a voluntary initiative with no sanctions for non-compliance, allowing companies to improve their image without changing their behavior.
• To end corporate capture, the report proposes that the UN should disclose all private sector links, introduce a 'cooling off' period for officials, and establish a legally binding framework to hold companies accountable for environmental and human rights violations.

APA

de Clerck, P., Cingotti, N., Ortiz, L., Burley, H., Sarno, N., Van den Berg, M., Slob, B., Ascoly, N., Rojas, I., Drago, M., Hoedeman, O., Clifton, S.-J., Sabido, P., & Naidoo, A. (2012). Reclaim the UN from corporate capture. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Reclaim-the-UN.pdf

Chicago

de Clerck, Paul, Natacha Cingotti, Lucia Ortiz, Helen Burley, Niccolo Sarno, Maarten Van den Berg, Bart Slob, et al. Reclaim the UN from corporate capture. Friends of the Earth International, 2012. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Reclaim-the-UN.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{declerck2012reclaim, author = {de Clerck, Paul and Cingotti, Natacha and Ortiz, Lucia and Burley, Helen and Sarno, Niccolo and Van den Berg, Maarten and Slob, Bart and Ascoly, Nina and Rojas, Isaac and Drago, Martin and Hoedeman, Olivier and Clifton, Sarah-Jayne and Sabido, Pascoe and Naidoo, Anil}, title = {{Reclaim the UN from corporate capture}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Reclaim-the-UN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }