We would like to call your attention to the risk of assuming that certain corporate lobby groups are truly committed to sustainable development, when in fact they have failed to 'walk the talk.' We believe that such assumptions give the incorrect impression that entrenched, unsustainable patterns of production and consumption led by global business are well on the way to resolution. These assumptions send out the message that big business has proven itself as an ally and partner and that there is no need for further action by the world's governments to prevent corporations from damaging the environment and sustainable development.

Particularly in the case of the ICC, there is a disturbing gap between their self-proclaimed commitment and the reality of a consistent record of lobbying to block, postpone or weaken progress in international negotiations on issues of crucial importance to sustainable development. Examples include the Basel Convention on trade in toxic waste, the Kyoto Protocol and the Convention on Biodiversity. We enclose a July 2001 report ("High Time for UN to Break 'Partnership' with the ICC"), which documents how the ICC with its obstructive lobbying has violated key principles of the Global Compact, which the ICC joined from the start.