Where there's a need for immunity, there's a crime – Green climate fund looking to UN for diplomatic immunity protection from lawsuits.

It seems to me, that if you are asking for immunity up-front, you already know that something has been done that without immunity, would land somebody in the slammer. From Fox News:

Mammoth new green climate fund wants United Nations-style diplomatic immunity, even though it’s not part of the UN

“EXCLUSIVE: The Green Climate Fund, which is supposed to help mobilize as much as $100 billion a year to lower global greenhouse gases, is seeking a broad blanket of U.N.-style immunity that would shield its operations from any kind of legal process, including civil and criminal prosecution, in the countries where it operates. There’s just one problem: it is not part of the United Nations.”

Whether the fund, which was formally created at a U.N. climate conference in Durban, South Africa last December, will get all the money it wants to spend is open to question in an era of economic slowdown and fiscal austerity. Its spending goal comes atop some $30 billion in “fast start-up” money that has been pledged by U.N. member states to such climate change activities.

A 24-nation interim board of trustees for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is slated to hold its first meeting next month in Switzerland to organize the fund’s secretariat and to get it running by November, as well as find a permanent home for the GCF’s operations. The board expects to spend about $6.7 million between now and June of next year.

But before it is fully operational, the GCF’s creators—194 countries that belong to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and who are also U.N. members—want it to be immune from legal challenges and lawsuits, not to mention outside inspections, much like the United Nations itself cannot be affected by decisions rendered by a sovereign nation’s government or judicial system.

Despite its name, the UNFCCC was informed in 2006 by the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs that it was not considered a U.N. “organ,” and therefore could not claim immunity for its subordinate bodies or personnel under the General Convention that has authorized U.N. immunity since the end of World War II.

More here:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/03/22/mammoth-new-green-climate-fund-wants-un-style-diplomatic-immunity-even-though/

 

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Robertvdl
March 24, 2012 10:10 am

Ed Kal says:
Dr. Tim Ball is scheduled to be the guest on the radio program “Coast to Coast AM” tonight, starting at 10:00 PM Pacific Time
Great
thanks Ed Kal

Robertvdl
March 24, 2012 10:21 am

Gail Combs says:
March 24, 2012 at 8:34 am
“Besides the USA is not the WILD WEST of movies.”
Myth: The Wild West | Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
http://youtu.be/Rf2Escui9ig

pat
March 24, 2012 10:40 am

And while were at it, lets give it legal standing to sue, but immunity from counter-suit, like the EPA claimed recently. Better yet, we can sh*t can the Constitution and just let the UN decide things for us.

Allan MacRae
March 24, 2012 10:43 am

Moderators and Anthony,
I suggest certain comments in this thread are “over the line” regarding violence.
When you have snipped these offensive comments, please delete my post as well.
Thank you, Allan
[REPLY: Thank you Alan. Sometimes stuff gets through. -REP]

Curiousgeorge
March 24, 2012 11:02 am

Gail Combs says:
March 24, 2012 at 8:34 am
Jer0me says: March 24, 2012 at 6:30 am
Meanwhile, in the USA: Curiousgeorge says….
I am so glad I live in a country that restricts guns. I know hater are gonna hate, but them’s the facts.
_________________________________
Jer0me get your head out of the sand and start connecting the dots.
People like George believe in HAVING GUNS so we do not need to USE the guns.
=================================================================
In a nutshell, We The People, are the ones who whisper in Caeser’s ear: “Momento mori” . Which is the intent of our founding documents, along with the means to enforce it; legally, legislatively, and otherwise.

Stephen Richards
March 24, 2012 12:18 pm

It would allow them to pay anyone, including themselves, any amount of slush money anytime, anywhere. Crooks the lot of them.

Charles.U.Farley
March 24, 2012 12:27 pm

[SNIP: Over the top. Let’s just say no one is above the law. -REP]

clipe
March 24, 2012 12:51 pm

“wattsupwiththat.com. Well worth a visit”
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/03/22/peter-foster-suzuki-vs-the-senate-whos-silencing-whom/
Letter to the editor:
http://opinion.financialpost.com/2012/03/23/fp-letters-to-the-editor-rural-ontario-to-protest-wind-projects/
Suzuki science
Subject: Re: Peter Foster: Suzuki vs. the Senate — who’s silencing whom?
I read with much satisfaction, your piece today regarding who I contend (and I will attempt to be charitable here) to be a misguided former drosophila investigator. If you check PubMed (national Library of Congress for all scientific publications) you will note Dr. Suzuki’s publication record consists largely of editorials and opinion letters.
There is of course a large amount of data contravening the anthropomorphic global warming theory. For any scientist to use words such as “denial” with respect to these matters of scientific investigation is to flagrantly violate one of the most sacrosanct principles of science-blind and unbiased investigation.
Dr. Suzuki has over and over demonstrated that he is incapable of dispassionately addressing such important issues as climate science. He is also uniquely unqualified in the area.
Your pieces do an important service to the public by demonstrating what I think are “abusive” and misleading statements by people like David Suzuki; people who are uninterested in science and preoccupied by politics and feather-bedding his (largely) taxpayer-supported existence.
Such soap-box politics masquerading as science may fool those not trained in scientific investigation, but there are many of us who see this man for who he really is: a shill for the left-wing ideology of social engineering and redistribution of wealth. There is meagre meat on the scientific bone of Dr. Suzuki, but much innuendo, half-truth and much outright fatty untruths.

W. Mark Erwin DC, PhD, CCRF Professorship in Disc Biology, University of Toronto

John Kettlewell
March 24, 2012 12:52 pm

I would suggest Zimbabwe as the HQ. That would supply them will all the money they would want. Couch cushions are gold mines baby!!

Louis
March 24, 2012 1:24 pm

So, if they are granted immunity, does that mean they can manufacture fake Heartland memos, publish fake temperature data, and create fake hockey sticks without any worries of prosecution? I guess it will be business as usual then.

March 24, 2012 1:30 pm

the key concepts that jump out to me in the comments of this post are ‘conspiracy’ and ‘free speech’.
having been snipped earlier for political endorsement, I will attempt to be more circumspect.
in tackling the topic of UN immunity, and it’s extension to the green climate fund, we are discussing a much larger problem than the piddling efforts of peter gleick or the stooge aka michael mann. denigrating the likes of mann is fairly safe, compared with trying to dump the UN, or eliminate the corruption endemic in it’s member ‘nations’.
last night I asked,
“whose/which are the allegedly corrupt dictatorships/oligarchs/’democracies’ in the UN ? what alleged crimes have they committed ?”
we have some answers. whilst I won’t name names, and I note that no commenters have either, it isn’t that hard to find out.
thanks to Gail Combs for alerting us to the death toll of authoritarianism. if I could find you on fb, I’d send you a friend request.
David, UK. I like your suggestion (give money to your favourite charity). I tend to give my money to beggars.

j ferguson
March 24, 2012 1:49 pm

Is there no-one else reading this who finds it unlikely that the powers, money, and purview for this group would all be granted? The reference article seems to be full of loose language. To wit:
“But before it is fully operational, the GCF’s creators—194 countries that belong to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and who are also U.N. members—want it to be immune from legal challenges and lawsuits, not to mention outside inspections, much like the United Nations itself cannot be affected by decisions rendered by a sovereign nation’s government or judicial system.”
“…194 countries … want it to be immune … etc. etc. ”
Really?
They must have the mother of all consensuses. 194 countries agreeing to anything? Come on.
Enabling this monster is one thing. Did the representatives of all 194 countries vote for it, or was it a majority, or what?
Did their respective governments back them up?
Talking about $100 Billion is one thing; getting it another.
Don’t get me wrong. I hate the idea as much as the rest of you. I’m just skeptical that it has legs.

Curiousgeorge
March 24, 2012 2:15 pm

j ferguson says:
March 24, 2012 at 1:49 pm
Don’t get me wrong. I hate the idea as much as the rest of you. I’m just skeptical that it has legs.
======================================================================
Doesn’t need legs; it just squirms along on it’s belly. 😉

Skiphil
March 24, 2012 2:30 pm

The UNFCCC and everything that has followed from it needs to be repudiated. Eradicate it all. don’t know how we get here but this cesspool is not reformable.

Brian
March 24, 2012 4:13 pm

Not interested in reading anything that comes from Fox news, MSNBC etc…

Robert of Ottawa
March 24, 2012 4:26 pm

The thieving bastards want immunity before they commit their crimes!

Robert of Ottawa
March 24, 2012 4:29 pm

For those skeptical of this story, remember that bureaucrats are empowered by the UN to form this fund, and will be the ones running the fund. These are those wanting immunity.

March 24, 2012 5:26 pm

That is what politicians do: they exempt themselves from the laws they pass. That is what liberal utopianism is all about: people like Al Gore, Castro, Chavez and those who live in dead and dying Old Europe who know more than you about what you should think and do and have–i.e., people who live for the death of the last self-reliant individual.

March 24, 2012 5:46 pm

The Green Climate Fund, which is supposed to help mobilize as much as $100 billion a year to lower global greenhouse gases …

That (100B$) figure is about half the actual monthly ‘take’ into the US Treasury … and THAT is a lot of ‘take’ …
.

Ike
March 24, 2012 6:47 pm

Speaking as a retired criminal defense attorney, I have to wonder, what specific criminal acts the members of this NGO – remember? non-governmental organization? – intend to commit in the near future? No NGO is entitled to diplomatic immunity as diplomatic immunity is granted to the accredited official representative(s) of the governments of foreign nations. Rather like asking for a saddle for your giraffe, isn’t it? The United Nations is without any authority to grant such a request as that is entirely outside of its charter, even as grandly extended as that poor old document has become these days. It has never granted diplomatic immunity; that is a matter between governments. It has no authority to extend its version of diplomatic immunity to agencies or organizations which are not formal parts of the U.N. All very puzzling, but frankly on par with what I expect of such people in those organizations. In any event, the notion of granting prospective immunity from criminal prosecution to the members of any NGO is preposterous and invites the worst sort of behavior. Bad enough that some of these nominal members of the human race express a preference for the survival of any and all animal species over that of the human race; indeed, they regularly express or imply a preference for the survival of ‘their sort of people’ over that of the vast majority of the human race. Give them unqualified immunity from criminal prosecution for any future crimes committed by people whose published works include a desire to see a sharp decline in human populations by whatever means necessary? Ask us to commit suicide, why don’t they?

E.M.Smith
Editor
March 24, 2012 9:10 pm

IMHO, the UN has become little more than a den of thieves working to steal as much from the world as they can. All facts point in that direction. IMHO they must be de-funded as quickly as possible. I know; not going to happen. But I can dream.
Or, put in left wing terms: The UN is an undemocratic organization! Democracy Now! The UN is run by powerful oligarchs, shut it down!!!
Just my humble opinion…
Oh, and yeah, revoke all immunity. Hey, they can have immunity when all of us have immunity from their rule makings and insanity…

Rhys Jaggar
March 24, 2012 11:05 pm

The UN, so far as I am aware, does not hold legal jurisdiction over sovereign states and therefore cannot force them to pay tithes, taxes, call it what you will. It has no legal powers for executive actions.
If a Green Climate Fund were to use economic levers in any way whatsoever, including using economic blackmail through UN representatives etc, to bully states to pay money into its fund, then it cannot be above the law.
If it tries to be, then the usual course of action is the bullet.
I thought the UN was supposed to make humanity rise above that, not revert down to it????

eljay
March 24, 2012 11:36 pm

Ditch them all – GCF, UN UNFCCC, IPCC. No one is above accountability when they’re on such a massive gravy train.

Larry Ledwick (hotrod)
March 25, 2012 12:13 am

Jessie says:
March 24, 2012 at 9:03 pm
Comment on #28 The Ground Zero of Global Corruption Jo Nova’s Australian blog re Agenda 21

Not the least bit surprising. We have already seen this play once before when the Hunt Brothers tried to corner the silver market in the late 1970’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Bunker_Hunt
During the same period Gold was bid up by panic buying as people fled to precious metals to avoid the double digit inflation of the period. It eventually peaked at nearly $1000/oz in 1980 dollars for some buyers who were willing to pay a premium to control physical gold.
http://inflationdata.com/inflation/images/charts/Gold/Gold_inflation_chart.htm
When you see “buy precious metals” advertisements on every TV program you watch that has anything to do with finance, you know the bubble is near the bursting point.
One day during that period I was buying a few small gold and junk silver coins on my day off and there was some bad news that got people very concerned. I remember clearly the panic in people’s eyes as they came into the small coin shop I was in. They were literally going to the bank and pulling out savings and running down to the gold shop on their lunch hour to buy precious metals.
When I saw that, I knew something was wrong with the market, and backed away from precious metals selling the few coins I had while the demand was high. A friend of mine who was well off paid nearly $1000 an once for gold shortly after, and kicked himself for years as the price did not recover to that level for almost 30 years.
I fear we have another precious metal bubble brewing too!
Another interesting book that discusses the way the economy got out of control at that period in the U. S. is titled “Secrets of the Temple” (by William Greider ) and gives a detailed back room account of how the Fed and the administrations was always a day late and a dollar short trying to control the economy.
The problem was, that by its very nature the data they were using to make decisions was out of date by the time they met to plan their next move. Unfortunately, they always seemed to be 180 degrees out of phase with reality. When the economy was just starting to cool off, they clamped down on the brakes thinking it was heating up. When they realized they had applied the brakes too hard they hit the gas and stimulated the economy just as it was starting to recover and take off again. The result was sort of like a beginning driver who cannot get the clutch and throttle coordinated and ends up taking a violent jerky ride as he hits the gas just as the clutch grabs.
It was a classic case of a feed back loop oscillator. That was a long slow and painful ride for many people myself included.
Larry