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Shell and Ferrovial at Corporate Ethics Summit in Barcelona, 13-14 Oct, Call for action
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summit mobilisations |
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Sunday October 12, 2008 12:39 by TaraWatch info at tarawatch dot org
We need activists to attend conference or help with email campaign FERROVIAL, who are building the M3 motorway through the Tara archaeological complex and SHELL, who are building the gas pipeline in Mayo are just two of the companies attending a conference on Stakeholder Engagement, within the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility in Barcelona this Monday and Tuesday, 13th and 14th of October We need people to help us engage in the conference, by sending activists and emailing participants. http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business and corporate social opportunity[1]) is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large. CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp "Companies that build strong relationships with their constituencies - suppliers, customers, employees - are at an advantage" The message is clear: You must take stakeholder engagement seriously to survive as a business in this increasingly CSR-conscious world.The quote above, from research conducted by the IFC and SustainAbility, is a clear call to arms - and is the reason for the Stakeholder Engagement Summit 2008. * 60% of consumers admire companies that appear to be taking action on the environment. Do you want to be one of those admired companies? Then come to the Stakeholder Engagement Summit - we can show you how. * 37% of employees see their company's commitment to sustainability as a PR exercise, nothing more. How do you make sure you're not disappointing your workforce? How can you make sure you are engaging them fully in, and making them passionate about, CSR? * 94% of CR executives said that they are working to green their supply chain. Are you? And if not, how long can you last? Learn some concrete steps. * 50% of companies will deselect suppliers for not meeting sustainability criteria. But the question is - is this half correct? Or is there more to this issue? * 90% of investors said that environmental and social governance factors would have an impact on the value of a company. How do you let the socially responsible investment community know that you care? That you know your CSR risk? That you are dealing with it? * 91% of people believe that working for a 'good' company servies as an extension of their personal branding as an ethical person. Do you want to lose out on the 91% of your employee pool that cares about their company being ethical? Or would you like to make sur your employees are fully integrated into your CSR policy? Without question, CSR is becoming a vital issue for all stakeholders - employees, consumers, suppliers, NGOs, investors and your local community. How do you make sure that you are engaging with these stakeholders - letting them know what you are doing well, and getting the benefits of their expertise and advice? The answer is the Stakeholder Engagement Summit - taking place on the 13th and 14th October in Barcelona. With a truly European speaker roster, if you attend you not only get a view of the stakeholder engagement horizon. You get an in-depth examination from an international body of experts. Book your ticket now, quickly and securely! Topics to be discussed at this industry-leading event include: * The business case for stakeholder engagement: The real reasons you should be engaging with your stakeholders - and how they can make a positive impact on your bottom line * Unleash the potential of your strongest assets: Learn how to assess the real value of your human capital - and how much more your employees could contribute to your business success * How to measure your impact: Get a clear idea of your engagement success - measuring the effect of your strategy on NGOs, employees, suppliers and more * Take on the best advice: How to incorporate the information and advice you get from stakeholders to turn you into a more responsive - and responsible - business == HOW YOU CAN BE ENGAGED WITH We need your help as time is against us here. In addition to sending someone down to Barcelona, we should concentrate on contacting the NOG's who are participating in the Stakeholder Engagement conference in Barcelona. There are a number of groups listed as speaking at it, and I bet none of them know what Ferrovial or Shell are doing here in Ireland. If we email them, there is a good possibility they will raise our concerns at the conference. The whole idea of the event is that groups like ours should have an opportunity to engage with the evil corporations. (Even head of corporate social responsibility for Lehman Brothers is speaking there...I wonder what he will have to say ;-) Shell are there too. So, let's really work hard on this one over the next day or two. We need to find email addresses for all the people below: - Rainforest Alliance: Angel Llavero, Regional Co-ordinator, TREES programme, Europe - Global eSustainability Initiative, Katrina Destree, Executive Director - International Interfaith Investment Group 3iG, Katinka van Cranenburgh, Secretary General - Business in the Community, David Halley, Head of International Partnership - The Carbon Disclosure Project, Frances Way, Head of Supply Chain - The Environment Council, Winsome Gregor, Engagement Director - Charities Aid Foundation, Kay Clark, Senior Business Development Manager - Charities Aid Foundation, Peter Cafferkey, Senior Company Relations Manager - Earthwatch, Kay O'Regan, Corporate Partnerships Manager - Sean Ansett, Social Accountability International The two most important people to contact are: - Melissa Whellams, CSR Advisor - Canadian Business for Social Responsibility who is Chair of Ferrovial session(I wonder if she read the Toronto Star article this week?) - Alicia Grandanos, Chairperson - Foretica - A Spanish NGO, who are speaking at the first session: == Plenary Session 1: The benefits of real engagement The Business Case for Stakeholder Engagement http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp Stakeholder engagement is an integral part of what CSR means to your organisation. It is a vast and complex issue. In this session we try to get to the bottom of why a stakeholder engagement strategy matters to your business: * Understanding stakeholder engagement - How to putt it all together, forma cohesive strategy and then implement that strategy * Creating a joined-up approach - avoid a fragmented approach that hinders the effectiveness of your stakeholder programme * Why viewing stakeholder engagement as simply a communications tool is missing the point - and the value * What stakeholder engagement can do for you: boost brand, boost sales and motivate employees * Arcelor Mittal, Remi Boyer, Vice-President of CSR * Lehman Brothers, Charlotte Grezo, Head of Sustainability * MODERATED BY: Foretica, Alicia Grandanos, Chairperson Forética http://www.eurosif.org/member_affiliates/list_of_member...etica Forética is a non profit multistakeholder organization working on promoting ethical and socially responsible policies. We work with companies and institutions at the core of their corporate values. Based in Spain, our seven years of experience advising businesses have produced solid frameworks for auditable management systems. Region: Spain & Argentina Forética´s services are based around three different lines of activities: 1. CSR Certification: Managing and operating the harmonized system for auditing companies versus the SGE 21 standard. No communication between consulting and auditing services is guaranteed by the system. We separate consulting and auditing services by creating different pools. 2. Knowledge: research and development of knowledge for our clients is our value proposition. We track the market for new ideas and opportunities in the CSR management field. That, added to our in-house research studies keep our partners on the forefront of CSR via several series of various publications. Foretica also organizes open door sessions for benchmarking and raising awareness among different stakeholder groups. 3. Services: Forética provides guidance and assessments of current performance for companies that want to start out in the CSR field. We work in the professional education field, carrying out training programs for CSR consultants, auditors and managers. Contact details Plz. Canalejas 6 – 4°izq 28014 Madrid Spain Contact: jsilos@foretica.es Website: http://www.foretica.es Phone: +34 91 245 90 13 Fax: +34 91 245 90 26 SHELL Shell International, Albert Wong, Head of Policy and External Relations is also speaking at this conference. CONTENTS OF EMAILS ABOUT TARA / M3 If you are going to go ahead and mail anyone about Tara, please keep it civil and speak to the facts, from the moral high ground: - Tara is on the World Monuments Fund - 2008 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites List due to Ferrovial building M3 there http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id= - Lismullin henge, voted one of the Top Ten most important archaeological discoveries in 2008 by the Archaeological Institute of America publication, 'Archaeology' magazine, was demolished to make way for the M3, by Ferrovial http://www.archaeology.org/0801/topten/tara.html Then add some articles from national and international media: - Tara protesters block depot to halt road works - Wednesday May 23 2007 http://www.independent.ie/national-news/tara-protesters....html - M3 route likely to open ahead of 2010 deadline http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0126/1....html - High Court rejects bid to halt work on M3 motorway http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0314/1....html - Activists call on Minister to visit Tara http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0315/1....html - Celtic Tiger threatens 'very soul of historic Ireland' - Oct 07, 2008 http://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/512894 - In Ireland, Commuters vs. Kings - January 22, 2005 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27671-20....html AND some video: Interview with Professor George Eogan - 21 March 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk_9zkgIcxo Interview with Jonathan Rhys Myers at human harp protest on Tara http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzaMBJVbmr4 Footage of Ferrovial security assaulting protestors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXtF0KeAFpI = Please search for email addresses and post them to this thread, or info@tarawatch.org Please contact supporters in Barcelona, and Indymedia Spain Caption: Video Id: dk_9zkgIcxo Type: Youtube Video Caption: Video Id: fzaMBJVbmr4 Type: Youtube Video Caption: Video Id: hXtF0KeAFpI Type: Youtube Video |
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Jump To Comment: 4 3 2 1TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend
The Irish Examiner
By Eoin English - Monday, October 13, 2008
ACTIVISTS will accuse the State’s roads building body today of a staggering €16 billion overspend — more than the spiralling national debt. TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects. It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.....
http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-q...1.asp
Glad S2S had got some pulling power in Espania. We just heard back from the conference organiser, who says that the Ferrovial rep 'may not be attending' now because they are having trouble getting a translator. Please.
Anyway, we just wanted to let people know about how important the CSR stuff is. If you look at the Ferrovial rep he is in charge of two things. Corporate Responsibility on one hand and Reputacion on the other. This is all about PR, which means PRofits. Ferrovial web site has a very telling press release:
And here they are, not only building a motorway through Tara, but they got stopped last year from building a motorway thorough an area of special conservation in Poland. Luckily, not everyone is buying their sustainable carry on. We are in touch with GES Investments who still have Ferrovial on their watch list, and are very interested in the Tara issue.
In the Polish case, the EU took legal action to stop the motorway, because EU money was being used to preserve the area in question. But in Ireland the EU decided not to seek an injunction to stop the demolition of Lismullin.
The battle to save places like Tara and Rossport has many fronts. The companies involved have been getting away with murder because campaigners have failed to hit them where it really hurts, in places like the DOW Jones Sustainability Index. A listing on there is worth billions. We have to find a way to expose them at that level.
TaraWatch recently voted to sign up to the UN Global Compact, and try and engage on that level, because that is what it is designed for. NGOs have a important role to play, and there are rules of engagement, where an opportunity is given to have issues addressed, and problems resolved.
For a list of all the companies and banks, involved in the Tara scandal, here is a press release from SIAC Ferrovial, describing the Public Private Partnership contract for the M3 motorway:
We`ll do what we can
Tuesday before last we screened "those who dance" in local social centre infoespai, we have been engaging in dialogue about whats going on in Rossport and organising for future actions, we will try to get there and make presence felt, can you send on more details, or ideas for action etc.
Related file is : Ven al camping de la Solidaridad de Rossport, which translates roughly as Come to the Rossport solidarity camp, as far as we know it was made my an anarchist collective here in BCN earlier this year, the phone number does not get a response.
We will try to show "the plunder" somewhere, theres a fair bit on that we are organising related to the last week of the GEF 08, global eco forum
links:
http://infoespai.org/
Ven al camping de la Solidaridad de Rossport
http://www.wiserearth.org/file/view/b5aa37c9155be320897...9030a
The Plunder
http://politube.org/show/957
GEF 08
http://www.global-ecoforum.org/index.php?lang=english
GEF 08 - the virtual encounter
http://global-ecoforum.ning.com/
Ven al camping de la Solidaridad de Rossport
World Monuments Fund 1008 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites - Hill of Tara entry:
http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id=S8351