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   Business support for projects promoting sustainable development / economic, social & cultural rights: 1 Jan. 2002 to present

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NEW (recent additions to this section; top item is most recent addition)

Barclays Support West Africa Aids Foundation - Barclays Bank Ghana, has donated 275 million cedis to the West Africa Foundation a non - Governmental Organization (NGO) which offers free testing, counselling, caring and treatment of people living with HIV/ AIDS. (Accra Mail [Ghana], 2 May 2003)

Eskom Pledges R5m to Provide HIV Training to Medics [South Africa] -...The product of a collaboration between Eskom, the Foundation for Professional Development, the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society and the United States-based Development Communication Associates, the initiative focuses on training for health carers in rural communities and the public sector. (Cape Argus [South Africa], 1 May 2003)

Sierra Club & Staples team up to recycle mobile electronics - New Program With CollectiveGood Makes Recycling Used Cell Phones, PDAs and Pagers Easy & Convenient [USA] (Sierra Club, 24 Apr. 2003)

Poor fellow mining country - Steering a big bank and a huge mining company, Leon Davis [chairman of Westpac, deputy chairman of Rio Tinto] puts Aboriginal disadvantage first on his unusual agenda...Westpac recently issued Australia's first comprehensive triple bottom line report...Rio Tinto has made striking progress in its relations with Aboriginal communities in Australia, winning praise from indigenous leaders such as Marcia Langton and Mick Dodson. Davis was key to this policy, spearheading the company's decision to set aside legal hostilities and negotiate with Aboriginal people to form binding voluntary agreements covering native title...Westpac staff volunteers spend four weeks in Aboriginal communities providing mentoring on family financial and small business skills...Rio Tinto has a huge legacy of community conflict to come to terms with [including] the Jabiluka uranium mine, the Weipa industrial dispute, the Bougainville copper mine, allegations of human rights abuses at the huge (albeit minority-owned) FreeportGrasberg copper mine in West Papua, and ongoing debate about disposal of mine tailings at the Lihir gold mine in Indonesia. Recently, for example, Rio Tinto has opposed any ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by Australia. (Paddy Manning, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Apr. 2003)

Michael Smith reports on Tata's army of worker-volunteers, who produce social capital as well as profits [India] -...The Tata group, one of India's largest private sector conglomerates (involving about 80 companies), is renowned worldwide for its commitment to social welfare...Housing for employees, company-run hospitals and schools, and rural development projects such road building, tree planting and well digging are all part of the Tata package...But now Tata's social ethos is under threat because of the forces of globalisation...The company has also sought the help of the Confederation of Indian Industries, in creating a network of like-minded companies that maintain community initiatives. They include Thermax and Forbes Marshall engineering in Pune and TVS, the scooters and automotive giant based in Bangalore. (Michael Smith, Guardian [UK], 10 Apr. 2003)

Just what we’ve all been waiting for - Steve Hilton is impressed by Business in the Community ’s new Corporate Responsibility Index [UK] -...After a lengthy gestation period and much speculation, Business in the Community introduced its Corporate Responsibility Index to the world in March...It provides a centralised focus for the evaluation and improvement of social and environmental performance, but it also shows senior managers – often for the first time – how, in an operational sense, CR cannot be seen as a centralised function and that it relates to everyone in the company, not just the corporate affairs department or equivalent. (Steve Hilton, Ethical Corporation Magazine, 8 Apr. 2003)

They provide for education what the government cannot give: Private sector support [Philippines] - The Coca-Cola Foundation, for instance, has its Little Red Schoolhouse. Pilipinas Shell Foundation is constructing school facilities such as teachers' quarters and libraries. (Constantino C. Tejero, Philippines Inquirer, 5 Apr. 2003)

As "Green Banking" Flourishes at the Grassroots Level, 10 Leading Proponents Across the USA - "Green banking" -- in which community investing dollars from banks, credit unions, venture capital firms, foundations and other organizations are directed to support environmentally beneficial businesses and nonprofits that might otherwise be overlooked by "traditional" financial institutions -- is making major strides today across the United States. Today, the Community Investing Campaign...singled out 10 organizations that "best exemplify the building of economic opportunity and hope for individuals through community investing": Chittenden Bank; Coastal Enterprises, Inc.; Permaculture Credit Union; Rudolf Steiner Foundation; Self-Help Credit Union; ShoreBank Pacific; Sustainable Jobs Fund; Underdog Ventures, LLC; Vermont Community Loan Fund; and Wainwright Bank & Trust Company. (Social Investment Forum, in GreenMoneyJournal.com, Feb./Mar. 2003)

1 Jan. 2002 to present:

2003:

Barclays Support West Africa Aids Foundation - Barclays Bank Ghana, has donated 275 million cedis to the West Africa Foundation a non - Governmental Organization (NGO) which offers free testing, counselling, caring and treatment of people living with HIV/ AIDS. (Accra Mail [Ghana], 2 May 2003)

Eskom Pledges R5m to Provide HIV Training to Medics [South Africa] -...The product of a collaboration between Eskom, the Foundation for Professional Development, the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society and the United States-based Development Communication Associates, the initiative focuses on training for health carers in rural communities and the public sector. (Cape Argus [South Africa], 1 May 2003)

Sierra Club & Staples team up to recycle mobile electronics - New Program With CollectiveGood Makes Recycling Used Cell Phones, PDAs and Pagers Easy & Convenient [USA] (Sierra Club, 24 Apr. 2003)

Poor fellow mining country - Steering a big bank and a huge mining company, Leon Davis [chairman of Westpac, deputy chairman of Rio Tinto] puts Aboriginal disadvantage first on his unusual agenda...Westpac recently issued Australia's first comprehensive triple bottom line report...Rio Tinto has made striking progress in its relations with Aboriginal communities in Australia, winning praise from indigenous leaders such as Marcia Langton and Mick Dodson. Davis was key to this policy, spearheading the company's decision to set aside legal hostilities and negotiate with Aboriginal people to form binding voluntary agreements covering native title...Westpac staff volunteers spend four weeks in Aboriginal communities providing mentoring on family financial and small business skills...Rio Tinto has a huge legacy of community conflict to come to terms with [including] the Jabiluka uranium mine, the Weipa industrial dispute, the Bougainville copper mine, allegations of human rights abuses at the huge (albeit minority-owned) FreeportGrasberg copper mine in West Papua, and ongoing debate about disposal of mine tailings at the Lihir gold mine in Indonesia. Recently, for example, Rio Tinto has opposed any ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change by Australia. (Paddy Manning, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 Apr. 2003)

Michael Smith reports on Tata's army of worker-volunteers, who produce social capital as well as profits [India] -...The Tata group, one of India's largest private sector conglomerates (involving about 80 companies), is renowned worldwide for its commitment to social welfare...Housing for employees, company-run hospitals and schools, and rural development projects such road building, tree planting and well digging are all part of the Tata package...But now Tata's social ethos is under threat because of the forces of globalisation...The company has also sought the help of the Confederation of Indian Industries, in creating a network of like-minded companies that maintain community initiatives. They include Thermax and Forbes Marshall engineering in Pune and TVS, the scooters and automotive giant based in Bangalore. (Michael Smith, Guardian [UK], 10 Apr. 2003)

Just what we’ve all been waiting for - Steve Hilton is impressed by Business in the Community ’s new Corporate Responsibility Index [UK] -...After a lengthy gestation period and much speculation, Business in the Community introduced its Corporate Responsibility Index to the world in March...It provides a centralised focus for the evaluation and improvement of social and environmental performance, but it also shows senior managers – often for the first time – how, in an operational sense, CR cannot be seen as a centralised function and that it relates to everyone in the company, not just the corporate affairs department or equivalent. (Steve Hilton, Ethical Corporation Magazine, 8 Apr. 2003)

They provide for education what the government cannot give: Private sector support [Philippines] - The Coca-Cola Foundation, for instance, has its Little Red Schoolhouse. Pilipinas Shell Foundation is constructing school facilities such as teachers' quarters and libraries. (Constantino C. Tejero, Philippines Inquirer, 5 Apr. 2003)

Anglo American, SAf Govt Launch ZAR40M Empowerment Fund [South Africa] - Diversified global mining giant Anglo American PLC and Khula Enterprise Finance Ltd., a Department of Trade and Industry initiative, has launched a 40 million rand fund to promote black economic empowerment in South Africa's junior mining sector. (Dow Jones, 31 Mar. 2003)

Clif Bar [producer of energy bars] Forms Wind-Farm Partnership to Offset CO2 Footprint [USA] - Clif Bar Inc. has announced it is supporting the construction of the first large-scale Native American-owned wind farm to offset the carbon dioxide generated by the energy used in its offices, manufacturing, and business travel during 2002...The company joins Stonyfield Farm, The Timberland Company, Ben & Jerry's, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and other companies in sponsoring the project. (GreenBiz.com, 26 Mar. 2003)

Firms Cautious On Calls for Apartheid Reparations [South Africa] - Stunned silence from large parts of the business sector greeted the news that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has recommended to government that SA's businesses be made to pay reparations to victims of apartheid unless they offer to play a more substantial role in reconstructing the country. The commission's suggestions included a wealth tax or a one off levy on corporate or private income. The commission singled out three business sectors that benefited particularly from apartheid policies: parastatals like Eskom, mining companies like Anglo American and international institutions like the Swiss banks. (Nicola Jenvey, Lesley Stones, Julie Bain, Carli Lourens & Charlotte Mathews, Business Day [South Africa], 26 Mar. 2003)

Mirenco Helps Iowa Schools Clear 5 Tons of Soot from the Air [USA] - Mirenco, Inc., the contractor for the Bus Emissions Education Program (BEEP), helped Iowa schools clear an estimated five tons of soot from the air through improvements made to Iowa's nearly 5,000 diesel school buses...BEEP is a partnership among Mirenco, Inc., the Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, School Administrators of Iowa, and Iowa Pupil Transportation Association. (Mirenco, Inc., 26 Mar. 2003)

Strategic alliances and partnerships to tackle urban water problems - As delegates pour into Japan this week for the Third World Water Forum, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – a long-standing advocate of public-private partnerships for delivering water to those without access to it – used today’s CEO Forum to announce the start of its new project on urban water. Co-chaired by Gérard Payen of Suez, France, the project will be supported by a broad cross section of business, including water users, water operators and the financial sector. Its vision is to find ways to deliver affordable and sustainable water supply and sanitation for 100% of the world’s urban and peri-urban populations. (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 19 Mar. 2003)

TECHNOLOGY: UNIFEM, Task Force Work To Increase Access For Women - The U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the U.N. Information and Technologies Task Force signed an agreement last week aimed at strengthening collaborative efforts to increase women's access to information and communication technologies. The agreement calls for the joint mobilization of resources to encourage countries, international organizations and the private sector to provide equal opportunities for women in employment, training and advancement in the technology sector. (UN Wire, 17 Mar. 2003)

Indian Company in Partnership to Produce Cheap Meningitis Vaccine for Developing World - Serum Institute of India Ltd. has agreed to be the first to produce a vaccine for a strain of meningitis that is epidemic in Africa and will do so for approximately $.40 per dose. According to The Wall Street Journal, the project will be funded by the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP) a program established in 2001 with a $70 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to correct what supporters call a “market failure” in vaccines for the developing world. The vaccine for meningitis A was developed but never commercially produced by two major firms (Business for Social Responsibility summary of article in Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 2003)

AFRICA: Agriculture Companies Back Technology Sharing Plan To Boost Food - Agriculture giants Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta and Dow have agreed to share technology free with African scientists in a bid to spur food production in Africa, the Washington Post reports. (UN Wire, 11 Mar. 2003)

Staples’ Ink-Jet Recycling Program To Support Oklahoma Education [USA] (GreenBiz.com, 7 Mar. 2003)

INDIA: Banks, UNEP Launch Solar Power Initiative - The U.N. Environment Program and two of India's largest banks [Syndicate Bank and Canara Bank] yesterday launched a $7.6 million solar power initiative aimed at helping 18,000 households in southern India conserve energy and emit fewer pollutants...UNEP backed the project along with the United Nations Foundation and the Shell Foundation. (UN Wire, 5 Mar. 2003)

Diamond Peace Alliance Inaugurated in Sierra Leone -...The objective of the Peace Alliance, which has been developed over the past two years by USAID in consultation with NGOs and the private sector, is 'to help ensure that the Sierra Leone diamond industry contributes positively to peace and prosperity through increasing benefits to the people of Kono from the diamond industry and by helping the government to improve its ability to manage diamonds.' (Other Facets: News and views on the international effort to end conflict diamonds, #9, pg. 3, Mar. 2003)

As "Green Banking" Flourishes at the Grassroots Level, 10 Leading Proponents Across the USA - "Green banking" -- in which community investing dollars from banks, credit unions, venture capital firms, foundations and other organizations are directed to support environmentally beneficial businesses and nonprofits that might otherwise be overlooked by "traditional" financial institutions -- is making major strides today across the United States. Today, the Community Investing Campaign...singled out 10 organizations that "best exemplify the building of economic opportunity and hope for individuals through community investing": Chittenden Bank; Coastal Enterprises, Inc.; Permaculture Credit Union; Rudolf Steiner Foundation; Self-Help Credit Union; ShoreBank Pacific; Sustainable Jobs Fund; Underdog Ventures, LLC; Vermont Community Loan Fund; and Wainwright Bank & Trust Company. (Social Investment Forum, in GreenMoneyJournal.com, Feb./Mar. 2003)

Lagos Pupils Get Nutritional Supplement [Nigeria] - Lagos State Goverment, in conjunction with UNESCO and the West African Milk Company (WAMCO), embarked on the programme...The programme is designed to provide milk twice a week. (Yemi Akinsuyi, This Day [Nigeria], 28 Feb. 2003)

Beyond philanthropy - Roger Cowe looks at attempts by major corporations to tie social opportunities into the very core of product and market development [refers to Lattice work with young offenders & school truancy; Centrica recruitment of disabled workers; BG Group funding a geosciences course at Univ. of West Indies;  EdF providing solar energy in Mali; Hewlett-Packard project in Sao Paolo to bridge digital divide; National grid Transco work with young offenders; Deutsche Bank’s experiments with micro-credit; HSBC’s development of Islamic mortgage products; work by Barclays and LloydsTSB on diversity; Unilever “small pack” initiative that makes detergents affordable to the poor, and its role in creating the Marine Stewardship Council; Procter & Gamble developing products which meet social needs] (Roger Cowe, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 28 Feb. 2003)

French President Meets With Businesses on Global Compact - French President Jacques Chirac met with leaders of French companies in Paris on 19 February to discuss the Global Compact. The business leaders shared with the President examples of good corporate practices and partnership projects. These examples included an initiative to fight malaria in Africa, access to water in urban areas, voluntary initiatives to advance environmental management as well as other corporate practices in support of the Global Compact. (U.N. Global Compact, 19 Feb. 2003)

Analysis: Premier Oil and Burma – who are the real winners? Alex Blyth looks at the story of Premier Oil and its controversial corporate responsibility programme in Burma (Alex Blyth, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 18 Feb. 2003)

The Buck Stops Where? - Managing the Boundaries of Business Engagement in Global Development Challenges (Robert Davies & Jane Nelson, International Business Leaders Forum, Jan. 2003)

2002:

Green Mountain, lung group team up for wind power - Texas-based power generator Green Mountain Energy Co. and the American Lung Association of Texas said this week they had joined forces to educate Texans about renewable, wind-generated power. (Reuters, 6 Dec. 2002)

U.N. as Consultant to Oil Majors  - In agreeing to manage the welfare projects of ChevronTexaco in Nigeria and Angola, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has enabled the U.S. majors to step back from the local competition for benefits generated by the oil industry and positioned itself for further sub-contracting work that had previously been a World Bank monopoly. (Africa Energy Intelligence, 4 Dec. 2002)

RIVER BLINDNESS: WHO Ending West African Program, Claiming Success -...Initially, the control program focused on spraying of larvicide to kill black flies, but in 1988, it began distributing the anti-parasite drug ivermectin, which Merck offered free of charge. (UN Wire, 4 Dec. 2002)

Launch of the First Women-Oriented ITU Internet Training Centre at Makerere University - Makerere University in Kampala (Uganda) has been chosen as the site of the first women-oriented facility established by the ITU Internet Training Centres Initiative for Developing Countries (ITCI-DC). The ITCI-DC is an initiative between ITU and the private sector in which Cisco Systems Inc. is a key partner. (International Telecommunication Union, 2 Dec. 2002)

ExxonMobil Caves To Science: Slick Maneuvering By Oil Giant On Climate Change -...The world's largest oil company softened its long-standing campaign of disinformation against mainstream science by acknowledging the potential risks of climate change and announcing a 10-year $100 million grant to Stanford University for research on "low-emissions" technologies. Still, ExxonMobil can't seem to break its disinformation habit. (Ross Gelbspan, TomPaine.com, 27 Nov. 2002)

Network promotes social conscience [New Zealand] - Socially and environmentally responsible businesses nationwide have joined forces to form a new organisation [The Sustainable Business Network] dedicated to spreading the word. (Ellen Read, New Zealand Herald, 22 Nov. 2002)

ExxonMobil deflects critics with $100m green donation - ExxonMobil, the biggest publicly quoted oil group in the world, yesterday wrongfooted green activists by announcing plans to invest $100m (£63m) into a project organised by Stanford University to tackle global warming...Exxon has joined up with General Electric and Schlumberger to provide $225m funding over 10 years to lead a search for solutions to global climate and energy needs. (Terry Macalister, Guardian [UK], 21 Nov. 2002)

POSCO enhances corporate value via environmental management [South Korea] -...POSCO Co., the world's largest steelmaker in terms of production capacity, has been working tirelessly to not only become a globally competitive company, but also to clean up the environment and solve local environmental problems. (Park Sang-soo, Korea Herald, 21 Nov. 2002)

CSR on the move - new report CSR on the move: new report gives first-time overview of Corporate Social Responsibilty efforts throughout Europe (CSR Europe and Copenhagen Centre, 21 Nov. 2002)

CHILD LABOR: Cocoa Industry Plans To Educate West African Farmers -...Government, private sector and nongovernmental organization representatives said they would seek to set up educational organizations in the region's major cocoa-producing nations -- Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana -- to find alternatives to child labor. (UN Wire, 19 Nov. 2002)

Community Lauds Shell's Development Projects [Nigeria] - For complementing governments' development efforts, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has received encomiums from Egwa community in Delta state...Assessing Shell's performance in Egwa, the community's chairman, Benson Lawei, said: "...In the past few years, SPDC has really reached out to us." (Vanguard [Nigeria], 11 Nov. 2002)

New business/academic partnership delivers £14 million for low carbon innovation [UK] - Today...Carbon Trust and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) announces the launch of a new £14 million investment initiative which will marry the needs of business with the capabilities of University R&D departments to deliver on low carbon technologies and solutions in the UK. (Carbon Trust, 11 Nov. 2002)

"Older and wiser" Exxon listens to the locals - Oil major Exxon Mobil is now working more closely with non-governmental organisations on upstream projects to help avoid the social unrest it has suffered in the past, a senior executive said. [refers to Exxon-led Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline, Exxon's operations in Aceh] (Neil Chatterjee, Reuters, 11 Nov. 2002)

What can corporate responsibility do in the fight against poverty in Africa? Maya Forstater looks at what business can be realistically expected to contribute to African development and outlines some specific examples of corporate engagement to date...DaimlerChrysler: making cars out of Sisal [South Africa, Brazil]...Divine Chocolate: Bringing farmers to market [Day Chocolate Company; The Body Shop; Ghana]...The Woodlands 2000 Trust [tree farming in Kenya]...South African Breweries...Coca-Cola: measuring the business contribution to economic development [Morocco, South Africa]...Supporting SME development: Richards Bay Minerals [South Africa] (Maya Forstater, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 11 Nov. 2002)

Investing in Africa, challenges and initiatives - Alex Blyth looks at the principal issues around western business investment in Africa and some of the companies that are attempting to improve their impact on the landscape and people of the continent [refers to Environment: TotalFinaElf in Nigeria; Palabora Mining Company (49% owned by Rio Tinto) in South Africa; Anglo American; DeBeers; Water & sanitation: Suez in Morocco & South Africa; Thames Water in Tanzania & South Africa; Education: ChevronTexaco in Nigeria; Old Mutual in South Africa; Barclays Africa; Economic development: Richards Bay Minerals (50% owned by Rio Tinto) in South Africa; HIV/AIDS:  Bristol-Myers Squibb Company in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland; DaimlerChrysler in South Africa; Coca-Cola]  (Alex Blyth, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 11 Nov. 2002)

NIGERIA: Oil Giant, UNDP Sign Development Accord For Volatile Niger Delta - U.S. oil giant ChevronTexaco today said it signed an agreement with the U.N. Development Program to assist Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region, which is the source of more than 90 percent of Nigeria's foreign earnings but one of its most underdeveloped and violent areas.  Chevron...will work with the UNDP on projects for health, education, agriculture and empowerment of youth and women (UN Wire, 11 Nov. 2002)

POLIO: Aventis Pasteur Gives U.N. 30 Million Vaccine Doses - Aventis Pasteur Friday donated 30 million doses of polio vaccine to help the World Health Organization and UNICEF immunize 60 million children against polio in 16 West African countries. (UN Wire, 11 Nov. 2002)

I pick cocoa beans but I've never tasted chocolate [Ghana]...But Day Chocolate is different. It buys all its cocoa through Fairtrade...Kuapa Kokoo is the only cocoa-buying company in Ghana which integrates women's projects into its business...To date, there have been 504 loans from Kuapa Kokoo to help women set up businesses in 22 cocoa-farming communities. (Jill Foster, Mirror [UK], 5 Nov. 2002)

Cisco Systems helps Afghanistan join the digital age -...Cisco trained the Afghan teachers and provided networking equipment for the academy. UNDP supported the training, provided computer hardware and facilitated the partnership with the university (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Nov. 2002)

Government and business join in tackling poverty in South Africa -...The summit marked the first time the private sector has become a partner in dealing with poverty. Business has previously participated in social responsibility projects, but with this initiative it is working with government on designing a strategy that aims to quicken poverty reduction and action against HIV/AIDS. (U.N. Development Programme, 30 Oct. 2002)

PluggedIn - Recycling phones to charities, not landfills [refers to Sprint PCS, Cingular Wireless, Verizon Communications, AT&T Wireless, Working Assets, NPI wireless, Radio Shack, The Body Shop] (Elinor Mills Abreu, Reuters, 23 Oct. 2002)

World Bank Institute and University of Michigan Business School E-Conference Program on "Business, Democracy and Peace" - October 7 - November 1, 2002 -...This e-conference introduces the argument that businesses may have significant contributions to sustainable peace. (World Bank and University of Michigan Business School, 7 Oct.-1 Nov. 2002)

'Heart and Soul' dramatizes HIV/AIDS and other issues for millions in Africa - The intertwined lives of two African families, one well-off and the other poorer, is the setting of "Heart and Soul," a prime-time television and radio soap opera that is bringing issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty, human rights and development to a potential audience of 50 million to 75 million....Beiersdorf - Nivea (East Africa), the Coca Cola Africa Foundation and Western Union are private sector sponsors. (U.N. Development Programme, 3 Oct. 2002)

Remarks at [U.S. State Department] Awards for Corporate Excellence - Chindex does more than sell healthcare products and services; Chindex has brought the American spirit of volunteerism and corporate public service to China's healthcare sector, especially to Chinese orphans...Coca-Cola Egypt's contributions to Egyptian society are as widespread as the Coca-Cola logo. Take education for example; thanks to Coca-Cola Egypt's employee literacy program (U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, 1 Oct. 2002)

UN-HABITAT announces winners of 2002 Scroll of Honour -...René Frank - USA - "For his dedication to low-cost housing as leading member of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI)" -...He has devoted a substantial portion of his time to improving slum settlements and has assisted local authorities in Central America...he has organized the Global Housing Foundation, which has been building decent sustainable housing in Managua, Nicaragua's most notorious slums. The funds for this project are solely contributed by the private sector, real estate industry - a first for public/private sector housing projects. (UN-HABITAT, 30 Sep. 2002)

Analysis: Is there a business agenda after Johannesburg? Valentina Bottarelli and Julie Garman assess the long term impact of the WSSD in Johannesburg -...if these partnerships do not yield appropriate outcomes in a few short years, the stick approach will replace the carrot. And the stick may include international codes of conduct, standardisation, certification on required reporting and so on. (Valentina Bottarelli and Julie Garman, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 24 Sep. 2002)

PHILIPPINES: UNICEF Estimates Child Laborers Total 4 Million - The number of Philippine children working as family breadwinners has reached 4 million, an increase of 800,000 children in recent years, a UNICEF official has estimated...About two-thirds of the children work in the agricultural sector, although some work in more hazardous industries such as mining...The Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry implemented a program to address the plight of working children. (UN Wire, 20 Sep. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Drug Maker Urges Stronger Coalition Against Disease - U.N. agencies, pharmaceutical companies, large employers and governments should form a "constructive partnership" to confront the HIV/AIDS crisis in southern Africa, Merck Chief Executive Ray Gilmartin said in Botswana last week. Gilmartin presented a Merck-Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation program in the country as a model of public-private cooperation. The drug maker is giving free anti-retrovirals to Botswana and granting the country $50 million over five years to combat an adult HIV rate of 38.5 percent. Meanwhile, large employers in the region have been negotiating with drug makers to secure HIV/AIDS drugs for their workers. (UN Wire, 16 Sep. 2002)

Students from the two Congos alert each other against HIV/AIDS - Young people in both the Congos are alerting one another about the deadly risks of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent infection in an initiative supported by international and private sector partners...UNDP, the Congo Government, the US Mission, and two companies, Chevron Texaco and CMS Nomeco, are providing support. (U.N. Development Programme, 13 Sep. 2002)

Chevron Md [Managing Director] Seeks Peaceful Relations With Host Communities [Nigeria] - The Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr Jay Pryor has appealed to people of the Niger Delta region as well as other oil producing areas to shun hostilities against Chevron oil workers. He also pledged that the company would continue to pursue socio-economic development of host communities. (Chuka Odittah, This Day [Nigeria], 13 Sep. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Hope Of Free Treatment Draws Botswana's Neighbors - Rising numbers of southern African HIV/AIDS sufferers are going to Botswana because of its free anti-retroviral drug program...Botswana is the only southern African country to offer universal provision of anti-retroviral drugs through a partnership with U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (UN Wire, 12 Sep. 2002)

Social development in Tamil Nadu [India]: The Murugappa Group of companies [leading engineering company and the market leader in products like steel-strips, steel-tubes and bicycles] is promoting social development in the villages of Tamil Nadu...The foundation provides assistance in the areas of education, medicare and research in rural development. (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

Change in the desert [India] - Lupin India Ltd [the third-largest pharmaceutical group in India] has helped ensure sustainable development in 154 villages in Rajasthan (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

From diamonds to development [India] - The Bhansalis [one of India’s leading diamond merchants] have ploughed a substantial part of their profits from the diamond trade into health, women’s education and disaster management since 1969 (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

Protecting the environment, the corporate way [India] - Ion Exchange makes profits in a socially-relevant way: through water treatment, afforestation and organic farming...To positively impact the environment and community life is the goal of this Indian company which offers total water management solutions and sustainable development in rural areas in partnership with NGOs and donor organisations. (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

Basic change in rural India: Basix (India Ltd) provides integrated technical and financial assistance to the rural poor -...Basix (India Ltd) provides integrated technical and financial assistance through micro-credit schemes to the rural poor and women...The support services of IGS, which works in collaboration with various government co-operatives, NGOs and private sector firms, include arranging farmer-training programmes in collaboration with the local staff, supply companies as well as agro-business companies. (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

Johannesburg Summit promotes partnerships for development -...The summit emphasized the role of the private sector and civil society as key partners to achieving sustainable development and the creation of public-private partnerships to help improve the living standards of the world's poor. UNDP Associate Administrator Zéphirin Diabré said the summit's recognition of the private sector as a genuine development partner is significant, especially regarding the issues of capacity building, technology transfer and development financing. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Sep. 2002)

Sustainable Development: R.I.P.: The Earth Summit's Deathblow to Sustainable Development -...With the world's most powerful governments fully behind the corporate globalization agenda, it was agreed even before the Summit that there would no new mandatory agreements. Rather the focus was to be on implementation of old agreements, mainly through partnerships with the private sector. In other words, those aspects of sustainability that are convenient for private sector would be implemented...At issue is the fact that the UN is unabashedly -- anxiously -- partnering with corporations that define sustainability to suit themselves...the phrase "corporate accountability," is included elsewhere in the Action Plan, though it's located in an ambiguous paragraph that will require several more years of campaigning by Friends of the Earth and allies to see any legal instrument on corporate accountability born at the UN. [refers to Shell's conduct in Nigeria; refers to Shell, Caltex and BP's conduct in South Africa] (Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, 4 Sep. 2002)

Compendium of speeches, press releases and articles from the "Lekgotla: Business Day" - Johannesburg -1 Sep. 2002 [BASD (Business Action for Sustainable Development) hosted a high profile business day during the Johannesburg Summit that brought world business leaders together with NGOs, labor unions, government officials and others - to discuss initiatives and partnerships towards sustainable development] [includes speeches by Prime Ministers of Canada & Denmark; Tokyo Sexwale, Business Coordinating Forum of South Africa; Reuel Khoza, Chairman of Eskom; Phil Watts, World Business Council for Sustainable Development; Sir Robert Wilson, Rio Tinto; Wladimir Puggina, International Fertilizer Industry Association; Heinz Imhof, Chairman of Syngenta; Mohamed Rafik Meghji, International Federation of Consulting Engineers] (Business Action for Sustainable Development, 1 Sep. 2002)

Caught in the Supply Chain: Strengthening Rights for Women Workers -...BSR has conducted a study of the general and reproductive health needs of women in global supply chains. The study – focused on China, India, Indonesia and Mexico – details the health needs faced by women working in the supply chains serving global companies. It also profiles innovative projects to improve women’s health as well as partnerships between companies and local and international NGOs. (Aron Cramer, Business for Social Responsibility, Sep. 2002)

Enabling the Poor to Build Housing: Pursuing Profit and Social Development Together [Mexico] -...This month, Changemakers features an innovative experiment by the Cemex corporation that has enabled 20,000 very poor families in Mexico to purchase building materials and upgrade their homes – without receiving any subsidies. Rather, this program provides new profit-making opportunities for Cemex. (Kris Herbst, Changemakers Journal, Sep. 2002)

Ecology opens for business [World Summit on Sustainable Development] -...Sir Mark [Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, former chairman of Shell who now heads Business Action for Sustainable Development] is lobbying for global leaders to disregard calls by NGOs to introduce multilateral rules governing business conduct. "The summit is taking place just as massive corporate scandals are undermining economic growth and confidence throughout the world. There is widespread recognition that self-regulation has failed," says Daniel Graymore, a campaigner for Christian Aid, the UK charity. Sir Mark concedes that greater corporate accountability is needed. But he argues that standards for business should be enforced at a national rather than global level...while some NGOs remain openly hostile to business, others are keen to work with it. BASD is promoting 230 partnerships between business and NGOs at the summit. They include the secondment of staff from HSBC, the banking group, to Earthwatch environmental projects, carmaker Fiat's development of gas-powered cars and the treatment of sleeping sickness in Africa by Aventis, the pharmaceuticals group. (James Lamont & John Mason, Financial Times, 31 Aug. 2002) 

Earth Summit launches controversial partnerships - The United States and other nations will showcase public-private partnerships at the Earth Summit yesterday meant to fight poverty amid criticisms that they will help businesses more than the poor. (Alister Doyle, Reuters, 30 Aug. 2002) 

Business Partnerships in Johannesburg - Business has come to Johannesburg with a range of partnerships for sustainable development. Some of these partnerships are listed below. (Business Action for Sustainable Development, 30 Aug. 2002)

Business and UN team up to recognise sustainable partnerships at Earth Summit - The United Nations and ICC: the world business organization today named ten business partnership programmes from around the world which are making an outstanding contribution to sustainable development [refers to Alcan Inc; Shell; Axel Springer Verlag; Kesko; E7 Network; ForesTrade; BioRe and Coop; Migros; Business Trust South Africa] (International Chamber of Commerce, 30 Aug. 2002)

Chemical industry committed to implement action plan on safe chemicals management in developing countries -...As part of its preparation for the Summit and as a basis of the action plan, the ICCA has undertaken national case studies in South Africa and Brazil in partnership with government and other groups. (ICCA - International Council of Chemical Associations, 30 Aug. 2002)

UN to focus on corporate help to fight Aids - The United Nations has abandoned its policy of relying on governments to tackle the HIV/Aids crisis in the developing world, saying it would now help fund corporate initiatives to provide anti-retroviral drugs to sufferers...Richard Holbrooke, president of the Global Business Coalition on Aids, a grouping of 75 international companies, and former US ambassador to the UN, said the policy change was "an important step in the right direction". He said: "If Anglo American and De Beers take leadership, it will pressure other companies to take similar steps. It will finally get corporations to take up their role in the process [to fight HIV/Aids]. Up to now, business has been doing less than 10 per cent of what they should have done." (James Lamont, Financial Times, 29 Aug. 2002)

Business: Sir Mark Moody-Stuart [former Chairman of the Royal Dutch/Shell Group & head of the main industry lobby group at the World Summit for Sustainable Development] Helps Corporations With High Visibility at Johannesburg Summit - "There is a great deal of mutual distrust, which we have to get over," said Moody-Stuart in an exclusive interview with The Earth Times. "We believe in good international governance for issues like climate change and trade. It is a myth that we are not in favour of regulation."...Moody-Stuart has come to this summit with proposals of over one hundred such partnerships between corporations, non-governmental organizations and governments. One such partnership is a project between Merck & Co., GlaxoSmithKline, UNICEF, World Bank to improve access to AIDS care in the hardest-hit regions of the world. (Preeti Dawra, Earth Times, 28 Aug. 2002)

How green is my business? -...the idea that public-private partnerships [being promoted at World Summit on Sustainable Development] are themselves the answer to these problems [poverty, environmental damage, human rights abuse & social exclusion] is as foolish as the idea that the private sector caused them in the first place. If anything, corporations hyping up this hubristic circus without making a full commitment to sustainability simply undermine the serious work that leaders such as BP are doing to change their mainstream business behaviour for good. That's the real agenda that should be promoted at Johannesburg...It involves corporations integrating social and environmental values within their core activities, rather than setting up projects that hover outside in a box marked "corporate responsibility". (Steve Hilton, Guardian [UK], 28 Aug. 2002)

Firms get green Oscars for environmental whitewash -..."These polluting companies are posing as friends of the environment and leaders in the struggle to eradicate poverty," said Kenny Bruno of campaign group Corpwatch. "But often they spend more advertising their green projects than on the projects themselves." (Reuters, 26 Aug. 2002) 

The world's business [regarding business community and the World Summit on Sustainable Development] -...All of which is to say that pressing corporations to contribute more toward their host societies increasingly makes sense. Many executives understand that managing a global company requires a plan for global solutions: AIDS will devastate workers; income inequality will suppress the customer base; global warming, deforestation, and poor infrastructure threaten devastation - financial and human alike. A group called Business Action for Social Development, headed by the former chairman of Royal Dutch/Shell, will have a large presence at the summit. (editorial, Boston Globe, 25 Aug. 2002)

Ranbaxy: Providing sustainable and primary healthcare to poor communities [India] -...Ranbaxy, one of India’s major pharmaceutical firms, has in place a programme to provide primary healthcare and other sustainable healthcare services to poor communities as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. (InfoChange [India]), sourced from Business Standard [India], 22 July 2002)

TCS to teach computer skills to ‘special children’ [India] -...Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has set up a fully-equipped computer training laboratory for children from the Society for the Welfare of the Physically Handicapped and Research Centre, in Pune. (InfoChange [India]), sourced from Indian Express, 19 July 2002, and Times News Network [India], 20 July 2002)

Pakistan media project aims to change attitudes about women -...The [UNDP] project has trained 400 media professionals, helping them develop ways to present women in Pakistan in a new light in programmes aired by the Pakistan Television Corporation and ensure that all the corporation's productions are sensitive to the issue of gender and avoid reinforcing biases against women. (U.N. Development Programme, 20 Aug. 2002)

Johannesburg Summit: A New Framework for Business Engagement -...Business could and should be a strong partner in safeguarding the environment, reducing poverty, raising education standards and improving health...But business today, following the collapse of Enron and other corporate scandals of fraud and greed, is losing its credibility as a trustworthy partner. (Klaus Schwab, President of the World Economic Forum, on Earth Times website, 15 Aug. 2002)

Round table seeks ways to harness trade and investment for sustainable development -...A recent high-level round table in Abuja, Nigeria, hosted by the Government and sponsored by UNDP, assisted by several partners, examined the issue [the challenge of reconciling the powerful forces of international trade and investment with efforts to reduce poverty and protect the environment], focusing on partnerships between government, civil society and the private sector for sustainable development in the oil, gas and minerals sector and the water and sanitation sector...Egbert Imomoh , senior corporate advisor with Shell International, discussed his company's experiences in partnerships in Gabon, Nigeria, Thailand, Mexico and the Philippines...Kwabena S. Manu of Mime Consult Ltd. in Ghana presented a pilot project to involve local private firms in developing small town water supply systems. (U.N. Development Programme, 14 Aug. 2002)

Why Donor Funds Don't Reach NGO Coffers [South Africa] [refers to Tshikululu Social Investment (TSI) Fund, one of the biggest corporate social investment programmes in South Africa, which manages social investment portfolios for AngloGold, De Beers, Anglo American and the First Rand Foundation] (Fazila Farouk, AllAfrica, 8 Aug. 2002)

Women's Protests Against ChevronTexaco Spread Through the Niger Delta [Nigeria]: Initial Demands Met, Issues Remain (Sam Olukoya, special to CorpWatch, 7 Aug. 2002)

World soccer stars play against HIV/AIDS - Real Madrid C.F. will play A.S. Roma in a special international soccer match in the US to raise money for the global fight against HIV/AIDS...The United Nations and the independent Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will share part of the gate takings. (U.N. Development Programme, 6 Aug. 2002)

DEVELOPMENT: Poorest Countries' Ills "Not Insurmountable," Annan Says -...He called for partnerships among the least developed countries, donors, civil society and the private sector. (UN Wire, 5 Aug. 2002)

Em‘power’ing remote villages [India] - The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited adopted three backward villages near Bangalore for its community development programme. Ronald Anil Fernandes visits these villages which have benefitted largely due to solar power (Deccan Herald [India], 2 Aug. 2002)

Ijaw Vs Chevron: Women to the Rescue [Nigeria] [refers to terms of 8-page Memorandum of Understanding signed on 24 July, under which Chevron agrees to a number of local economic development & education initiatives] (Mike Oduniyi, This Day [Nigeria], 2 Aug. 2002)

UNICEF: Coalition Calls On U.N. Agency To Cut Ties With McDonald's - An international coalition of academics and health officials called Wednesday for UNICEF to end its partnership with McDonald's, accusing the corporation of undermining U.N. efforts to promote healthy diets (UN Wire, 2 Aug. 2002)

Rio + 10 Series: The Sustainability of the World Summit on Sustainable Development - Organizers are working to reduce the environmental impacts of the Johannesburg Summit...The Johannesburg Climate Legacy (JCL), initiated by South African businesses in conjunction with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), seeks to “neutralize” carbon emissions associated with the summit. (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 2 Aug. 2002)

Citigroup backs sustainable business - Financial services giant Citigroup is encouraging sustainable enterprise in Latin America through its work with the World Resources Institute on the New Ventures initiative. Through a series of competitions open to entrepreneurs across Latin America, a panel of experts selects small and medium sized enterprises whose business ideas promise sustainability while respecting social and environmental factors. Selected companies attend an international investment forum, and can win access to business mentoring services...Entrepreneurial schemes to benefit from the New Ventures initiative include ecotourism operators, and producers of shrimps, charcoal, wood, coffee, and electric vehicles for delivering goods in densely populated cities. One Argentinean firm is dedicated to the sustainable breeding of the guanaco - a wild Patagonian camelid - for its wool. In Brazil, Ouro Fértil...uses coconut fibres to create biodegradable and organic products for sale on the local and international markets. (International Chamber of Commerce, 1 Aug. 2002)

Countdown to Rio +10: 'Sustainable Development' and the Public-Private Pantomime - As the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) approaches, conflicts intensify between North and South, civil society and industry... Calls from civil society for binding regulations on corporate behaviour are being ignored, instead business is given a central role as provider of 'Type II' outcomes for the summit. Corporate lobby groups have already submitted over 50 projects for UN approval, many of which depict environmentally destructive industries as contributors to sustainable development...Encouraged by the political winds in the Rio+10 preparations, business stubbornly continues its irresponsible campaign for industry self-regulation and voluntary action as alternatives to effective and binding regulation of corporate behaviour. Underlining the unfortunate hollowness of their commitment to 'sustainable development', corporate groupings also work hard to maintain the limited scope of voluntary initiatives. Within the WBCSD for instance, there is "strong concern about the very expanded reporting requirements in Global Reporting Initiative's new draft guidelines." (Corporate Europe Observer, Aug. 2002)

Social Responsibility and the Mechanical Bull: The International Chamber of Commerce Dresses for Success [commentary on the 34th World Congress of the International Chamber of Commerce, May 2002] -...This lack of definition and emphasis on 'voluntary' initiatives clearly suits the public relations objectives of corporations, which want to create a feel-good aura for themselves while simultaneously avoiding any specific, verifiable commitments that might constrain their behaviour...ICC's own rationale for good behaviour avoids any statements on ethics or universal human rights. Its pamphlet states, "ICC applauds the primacy accorded to human rights by the United Nations; however, the making and enforcement of laws for protecting human rights are tasks for governments." Instead of morality, ICC argues that profits are the driving consideration that will motivate companies to behave well. (Laura Miller, PR Watch, in Corporate Europe Observer, Aug. 2002)

Starbucks, Ford Foundation, Oxfam America and CEPCO [Oaxacan State Coffee Producers Network] Announce Innovative Collaboration to Increase the Supply of High Quality Fair Trade Coffee (Oxfam America, 29 July 2002)

Shell establishes "green growth" study center [USA] - Shell Oil Co., in a bid to bolster its environmental credentials, said it would establish a center at Rice University to study sustainable development (Reuters, 29 July 2002)

NIGERIA: Women end siege of ChevronTexaco facilities -...The officials said under the terms of the agreement signed on Thursday with a chief of the Gbaramutu community, whose women had occupied four ChevronTexaco facilties for eight days, the company would build a hospital and provide fair access to employment for qualified people from the area. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 26 July 2002) 

New effort to reach women with tetanus vaccine could save thousands of lives - Pre-Filled Injection Device Is Helping Reach Remotest Communities - UNICEF today announced concentrated efforts to reach women in poor, hard-to-reach communities with vaccine against maternal and neonatal tetanus...Uniject™ is manufactured by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and another company, Bio Farma, produces the vaccine and fills the syringe. The two companies have jointly donated 9 million units to UNICEF over the next three years for use in the collaborative effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. "This is an excellent example of a partnership between the public and private sectors," Bellamy [Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF] said. (UNICEF, 26 July 2002)

UNICEF: Amusement Parks To Help Raise Vaccine Funds - UNICEF and one of the world's largest amusement park groups launched a joint project yesterday to raise money for children's immunization drives. (UN Wire, 25 July 2002)

UNICEF, McDonald's and Ronald McDonald House Charities team up to raise funds for children (UNICEF, 19 July 2002)

Supporting Science, Supporting Sustainability - Earthwatch Institute's Corporate Fellowship Program places corporate employees in the field with top scientists for the benefit of both the environment and the sponsoring companies [refers to Ford Motor Co., Royal Dutch Shell, Rio Tinto, Starbucks] (Anne Moore Odell, SocialFunds.com, 18 July 2002) 

'Deal reached' in Nigeria oil protest - Women protesters who have besieged an oil terminal in southern Nigeria for more than a week say they have reached a deal with the refinery owners to end their blockade...According to Mr Filgate [of Chevron Texaco], the company has agreed to build a town hall in the village of Ugborodo - home to many of the protesters - and build schools and electrical and water systems. "We now have a different philosophy, and that is do more with communities," AP quoted Mr Filgate as saying following talks with the women. (BBC News, 15 July 2002)

Credit Suisse Financial Services gives children a ticket to life -...The Ticket to Life campaign [joint Credit Suisse Financial Services / UNICEF Switzerland campaign] seeks to ensure children everywhere have official papers, like birth certificates, obliging governments to take responsibility for their welfare. (International Chamber of Commerce, 9 July 2002)

Cybernet, Shekha sign contract [Bangladesh] - Cybernet, a computer service provider and Banchte Shekha, an NGO, signed a contract for an education project...The objective of the project is to provide IT education to the deprived poor grass-roots people in the rural areas and help them to better their socio-economic conditions. (sourced from The Independent [Bangladesh], ProPoor website, 8 July 2002)

Corporate Community Involvement is Growing, Says Report -...According to the report, the declining role of the state in addressing social issues in many countries has placed more responsibility on the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. (GreenBiz.com, 2 July 2002)

Coffee is more than a beverage to most of the world -...My company -- a Bay Area gourmet coffee roaster that distributes nationwide [USA] -- spends at least four months each year directly aiding (providing houses, schools, etc.) farmers in Latin America, Indonesia and Africa...the socially conscious can urge coffee drinkers coast to coast to pressure roasters to establish "social contracts" with farms that include: -- Multiyear fixed prices well above the cost of production -- Programs that provide basic amenities (nutrition, health care, education, housing, sanitary living and working conditions) for coffee farm workers -- Direct payment and implementation of materials and services to coffee workers -- rather than merely donating a percentage of sales to farms. (Jon B. Rogers, founder and president of San Leandro-based San Francisco Bay Gourmet Coffee Co, in San Francisco Chronicle, 1 July 2002)

Those who bear the scars of SA mines hail new law [South Africa] - Many who contributed to the wealth of the nation still live in poverty -...Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has used Pondoland and Kimberley, the diamond-mining centre of the Northern Cape, as an example of how the previous laws ignored the development of communities from whom labour and resources were drawn. "Communities that live in close proximity to rich resources should be addressed in a manner that takes them out of poverty," she said. (Sechaba Ka'Nkosi, Sunday Times [South Africa], 30 June 2002)

Rio+10 Series: Book Review--Building Partnerships - A new book outlines the benefits and challenges of cooperation between the private sector and the United Nations. [Building Partnerships: Cooperation between the United Nations system and the private sector, published by United Nations Department of Public Information & UN Global Compact, in conjunction with Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum] (William Baue, SocialFunds.com, 28 June 2002)

Hill and Knowlton and Ashoka Form Precedent-Setting Global Partnership: First-Ever Global Pro-Bono Partnership between PR Firm and a Citizen Sector Organization - Hill and Knowlton and Ashoka: Innovators for the Public have formed a global partnership through which Hill and Knowlton will provide pro bono public relations services to build awareness of Ashoka as a world leader in the growing area of social entrepreneurship. (Ashoka, 27 June 2002)

HP donates world summit hardware [World Summit on Sustainable Development] - Hewlett-Packard has been named as the exclusive hardware sponsor for the event, and will supply 2300 PCs, 128 servers, 53 notebook computers, 10 scanners, 274 printers and 135 digital cameras. (Business Day [South Africa], 27 June 2002)

Corporate responsibility in India: A changing agenda - Ritu Kumar, Viraal Balsari and David F Murphy look at drivers for and activities in corporate social and environmental responsibility in modern India (Ritu Kumar, Viraal Balsari and David F Murphy [consultants with the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) TERI-Europe], in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 26 June 2002)

Fedusa calls on state to help feed the poor [South Africa] - The Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) has called on government to enter into a partnership with business, nongovernmental organisations and trade unions to distribute food to poor communities in the country. (Business Day [South Africa], 26 June 2002)

HIV/AIDS II: U.S. Forum Urges Business To Do More To Combat Disease - The increased support of small businesses is especially important if corporate efforts against the global HIV/AIDS pandemic are to make progress, Corporate Council on Africa President Stephen Hayes said yesterday at a U.S. State Department-sponsored forum. (Michael Kitchen, UN Wire, 25 June 2002)

Disability no bar in Chennai software firm [India]: Two-thirds of the employees of Lasersoft Infosys are challenged - In a country which mostly ignores its about 70 million-strong disabled population, Chennai's Lasersoft Infosys Ltd is setting standards for the professional excellence the physically challenged can attain. (InfoChange [India]), sourced from IANS, 24 June 2002)

UN volunteers programme teams up with BASF to help developing countries - The United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) today announced the launch of a cooperation agreement with BASF, one of the world's leading chemical companies, to promote the services of corporate volunteers in developing countries...Under provisions of the UNV-BASF agreement, the company pays the salary of its employees during the volunteer mission (United Nations, 19 June 2002)

CEOs pledge no less than 20 per cent of philanthropic budgets to ICT [information and communications technology] for development: Microsoft Joins Hewlett Packard, Equitable Cardnetwork, Masreya, MIH Group, Vivendi Universal as Signatory of CEO Charter for Digital Development - At a special meeting of the General Assembly today, Microsoft announced its commitment to pledge no less than 20 per cent of its philanthropic budget to information and communications technology (ICT) for development under the CEO Charter for Digital Development, a recent initiative by the World Economic Forum. (United Nations, 17 June 2002)

United Nations Reports on Growing Importance of Partnerships with Business - "Building Partnerships" Book Shows How UN System, Private Sector and Civil Society Are Working Together on Range of Critical Global Issues (U.N. Global Compact, 14 June 2002)

Nestlé S.A. to become Founding Corporate Sponsor of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' Africa Health Initiative -...Nestlé's contribution to ARCHI 2010 will be concentrating initially on Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, and on the prevention of the transmission of the HIV/AIDS virus in that country (Nestlé, 13 June 2002)

Cyber café for the blind in Mumbai [India] -...The National Association of the Blind (NAB) has opened a cyber cafe for the visually impaired in its office at Worli, Mumbai. Set up with help from Microsoft, the cyber cafe, which is a month old, has five computers, all provided with screen reading software and headphones. (InfoChange [India]), sourced from Times of India, 10 June 2002)

Aventis reawakens the war on sleeping sickness - It is a year since pharmaceutical company Aventis committed $25 million to the World Health Organization's fight against sleeping sickness, a disease that threatens the lives of 60 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and progress is already being made. (International Chamber of Commerce, 3 June 2002)

H&M builds Bangladeshi children a bridge to safe work - H&M [international clothes firm] say they worked with the ILO and other UN agencies to define the four month technical training programme which would enable teenagers to build on their initial UN education and avoid slipping back into a life of exploitation where they could risk dangerous working conditions and, in extreme cases, prostitution. (International Chamber of Commerce, 3 June 2002)

Four Indian IT initiatives rewarded for harnessing innovation for poor: Expat Indians reward four national social entrepreneurs for bridging the great divide between information technology and the common man -...Drishtee, an ISP (internet service proider) offering e-Government solutions in rural villages in India, topped the selected list, with an award of Rs 5 million (Frederick Noronha, InfoChange [India], 1 June 2002)

A Guide for Potential Partnerships on Energy for Sustainable Development -...The creation of public-private partnerships on energy for sustainable development requires the active involvement of the private sector as strategic partners in building strong alliances to implement specific initiatives, and as sources of expertise, financing and experience. [page 3] (United Nations, Background Paper No. 3 for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Fourth Preparatory Session, 31 May 2002) [to download this pdf file directly, click here: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prep4_background_papers/energy_3.pdf]

conference: The Americas Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility: "Alliances for Development" - 22-24 Sep. 2002, Miami, Florida (Inter-American Development Bank, Organization of American States, World Bank) posted to this website on 24 May 2002

UNDP's Equator Initiative To Spotlight Partnerships that Work -...Using the old ways and methods, there are indigenous people in the Amazon who can make natural rubber into a material that is virtually indistinguishable from leather. And now, models are parading skirts and handbags made of that mock-leather on runways in Paris, New York, and Rio. The initiative is a partnership between an entrepreneur, a non-governmental organization and a local people that has worked to protect the rainforest, provide steady incomes, and maintain traditional customs. (United Nations, 22 May 2002)

AIDS Healthcare Foundation to Bar GlaxoSmithKline Sales Reps from Outpatient Facilities Over Drug Pricing For Developing World - GlaxoSmith Kline, which is the largest producer of HIV/AIDS medications, charges twice as much for their drugs in the developing world as all other HIV pharmaceutical companies. In addition, GSK does not make major charitable donations to aid people with AIDS in the developing world. (AIDS Healthcare Foundation, 21 May 2002)

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY: Council OKs $113.7 Million In Projects -...Announcing the new work program, the facility stressed high private sector participation. "Co-financing of GEF projects is critical, because it brings additional resources to the goal of obtaining global environmental benefits" (UN Wire, 20 May 2002)

UN Chief Calls for Urgent Action on "Digital Divide" -...Annan is urging both the public and private sectors to take action to "bridge the digital divide" that exists between the world's rich and poor (Glen Tarman, OneWorld, 16 May 2002)

POLIO: Wyeth Gives $1 Million For Eradication In Africa - Drug maker Wyeth today contributed $1 million to help the Polio Eradication Private Sector Campaign's Global Polio Laboratory Network eradicate polio in African countries still affected by the disease. (UN Wire, 13 May 2002)

MICRONUTRIENTS: Public-Private Partnership Launches Major Initiative - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy along with several top-ranking public and private leaders [including Procter & Gamble Chairman John Pepper] joined together this morning to announce the launch of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, a partnership to fight micronutrient deficiency in the developing world. (Michael Kitchen, UN Wire, 9 May 2002) 

Socially responsible corporate partners 'Go Green' in Lebanon - UNDP and UN Volunteers (UNV) are teaming up with several private sector partners [Schtroumpf, a Lebanese restaurant chain, Coca-Cola Middle East, FTML-Cellis, Tetra Pak] in Lebanon on a project to enhance awareness of corporate social responsibility and how it relates to environmental issues. (U.N. Development Programme, 9 May 2002)

Interest Building for Sustainable Development Partnership Agreements - Interest and support continues to build for the idea of launching partnership initiatives [between governments, international organizations, the private sector, and community and citizen groups] at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (U.N. Johannesburg Summit 2002, 9 May 2002)

MALARIA: Bayer, WHO Agree On Developing Inexpensive Vaccine - German drug maker Bayer yesterday said it has signed an agreement with the World Health Organization to develop an affordable malaria vaccine for use in developing countries. (UN Wire, 8 May 2002)

Need to turn 'black gold' to 'human gold' in Azerbaijan - A national conference recently called for Azerbaijan to develop a national employment strategy as a part of its poverty reduction programme....UNDP joined with the Ministries of Economic Development and Labour and Social Protection of Population in organizing the event. BP...provided financial support. (U.N. Development Programme, 8 May 2002)

HIV/AIDS: IAVI, Swedish Firm Cooperate On Vaccine Research - Swedish biotechnology firm Bioption AB and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative yesterday announced a partnership to develop and test new HIV/AIDS vaccines to target HIV subtypes common in developing countries (UN Wire, 7 May 2002)

Business community has key role to play in fight against AIDS, Fréchette [U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette] says -...The Deputy Secretary-General noted that business could have a key impact in the fight against the disease...by making changes in the workplace, including drawing up effective AIDS policies and ensuring effective support and care for infected employees...she also underlined the role to be played by businesses as financial supporters. (United Nations, 6 May 2002)

TANZANIA: ILO Project Targets Child Labor, Women's Work Opportunities - The International Labor Organization has launched a project in cooperation with the government of Tanzania and the Akiba Commercial Bank to reduce the use of child labor in Tanzania by bolstering employment opportunities for women. (UN Wire, 6 May 2002)

Employees lead the way in fighting Aids - Some South African employees are taking the lead in the fight against HIV/Aids - donating their time, salaries and services to help victims of the disease [refers to Absa and AngloGold]. (Bobby Jordan, Sunday Times [South Africa], 5 May 2002)

LYMPHATIC FILARIASIS: Glaxo Reaches 100 Million Donated Drug Doses [announcement made at meeting of Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis partners, including WHO and GlaxoSmithKline] (UN Wire, 3 May 2002)

Conflict Prevention and Revenue-Sharing Regimes: Prepared for the United Nations Global Compact Policy Dialogue: Business in Zones of Conflict [refers to mining industry; oil industry; World Bank; Shell; BP; Angola; Statoil; indigenous peoples; Western Mining Co., Normandy Mining; Rio Tinto; BHP-Billiton; Social investment projects: Freeport McMoRan in Irian Jaya, Placer Dome in Papua New Guinea, Newmont & Rio Tinto in Indonesia; Natural resource funds in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Norway, Alaska/USA, Chad-Cameroon pipeline - ExxonMobil - Petronas - Chevron, Nigeria]  (Juliette Bennett, May 2002)

Multinational Enterprises in Situations of Violent Conflict and Widespread Human Rights Abuses - This report considers the challenges of conducting business responsibly in countries characterised by civil strife and extensive human rights violations. It focuses particularly on extractive industry companies and documents the search for solutions. [includes reference to oil/gas and mining industries; Burma, Nigeria, Angola, Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Colombia, Indonesia, Sudan] (Kathryn Gordon, OECD, May 2002)

WOMEN'S HEALTH: Doctors' Federation Launches International Fund - The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) yesterday announced creation of the FIGO Global Fund for Women's Health, aimed at helping to provide women around the world with emergency obstetric care. The Pharmacia Foundation has provided $300,000 for the fund...Pharmacia Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred Hassan said FIGO and the Pharmacia Foundation "share the common goal of assuring access to health care for people around the world." (UN Wire, 26 Apr. 2002)

New global fund shows world's resolve to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, Annan says -...To date, industrialized and developing countries, corporations, foundations and individuals have pledged some $1.9 billion to the Fund. (United Nations, 23 Apr. 2002)

Kerala to undertake massive computer education programme [India] -...The Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI) and Intel Asia Electronics have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to spearhead the project in the State. Intel will impart training to 300 teachers as master trainers for the IT@School programme (InfoChange [India], sourced from The Hindu [India], 22 Apr. 2002)

Local NGOs in emerging economies - a vital community link (Miles Dodd, visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Business, Nihon University, Tokyo, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 21 Apr. 2002)

 Corporate Social Responsibility [India]: CII [Confederation of Indian Industry] and Ficci [Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry] must speak out on Gujarat - Many leaders of Indian industry have raised the issue of corporate social responsibility in the context of the communal violence in Gujarat. While some have been bold enough to be willing to be quoted, in reports appearing in this newspaper and The Indian Express, many others have echoed these sentiments in private, afraid to go on record. (Financial Express [India], 20 Apr. 2002)

IBM Tops List of 100 Best Corporate Citizens: In a survey by Business Ethics magazine, some corporations shine in their commitment to diverse stakeholders - A new survey from Business Ethics magazine ranks public companies based on their relationship to...four groups of stakeholders [shareholders, employees, customers, and community]...The top five companies, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Procter & Gamble, and Herman Miller... (SocialFunds.com, 18 Apr. 2002)

ALBANIA: Homeless Children Work As Couriers Under UNICEF Program -..."The idea was how to use the marketplace, how to get businessmen and businesspeople involved in generating new resources and new thinking and new opportunities for these kids" (UN Wire, 18 Apr. 2002)

Massive campaign to promote ORS in North India -...Financial services group ICICI and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have joined hands with the Indian Academy for Pediatrics for a $ 1-million communication and marketing campaign to create awareness for increased use of World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended oral rehydration salts (ORS) in North India. (InfoChange [India]; sourced from Financial Express [India], 17 Apr. 2002)

Support for biodiversity linked to poverty reduction, says UNDP:...Encompassing partnerships with governments, civil society, local communities, and the private sector, UNDP/GEF provides assistance for 285 protected areas around the world covering 23.3 million hectares. (U.N. Development Programme, 16 Apr. 2002)

First Women Bank, ILO to combat child labour in Pakistan: The First Women Bank Ltd (FWBL) and ILO’s International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) have signed a memorandum of Understanding to set up micro finance projects for carpet weavers in the three cities of the Punjab as part of efforts to combat child labour. (Child Labour News Service, 15 Apr. 2002)

G8 starts environment talks, under fire on Kyoto: Environment ministers from the world's leading nations turned their back on global warming on the weekend and instead tackled the tricky topic of how to encourage the private sector to do more for the cause of sustainable development. (David Ljunggren, Reuters, 15 Apr. 2002) 

Case Study: BP and the Casanare Project, Colombia - With high oil production levels, and with a backdrop of a nationwide-armed conflict, BP decided it was time to improve and streamline the Tri-Sector Partnering model it had been applying since 1993, with the advisory support of BPD/NRC. The goal was to optimise the use of resources, so that that their operations generate long-term sustainable, non-oil dependent social and economic development in the Casanare region. (Michael Warner, Secretariat Coordinator, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 11 Apr. 2002)

HIV/AIDS II: Botswana Expands Nationwide Treatment Program -...Botswana expects to spend nearly $200 million during the next three to five years to expand its program, with funding from pharmaceutical-giant Merck and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (UN Wire, 10 Apr. 2002)

UN and business unveil new project to open Jo'burg Summit to the world:...Virtual Exhibition is a joint project of BASD - Business Action for Sustainable Development - and UNDP - the United Nations Development Programme. Billed as "a multi-media showcase of sustainable development initiatives", Virtual Exhibition will use web technology to profile sustainable development projects from all over the world. It will also provide a worldwide webcast of proceedings during the Johannesburg conference and encourage participation in the summit via a series of online exchanges. (Virtual Exhibition, 3 Apr. 2002)

World summit firm gets more donors, needs more cash: Organisers of a world development summit to be held in Johannesburg later this year said yesterday it had secured more money from local firms but still lacked a third of funds needed to meet its budget...State-owned firms Eskom, the South African Post Office and South African Airways said yesterday they had each contributed five million rand, along with mining giant Anglo American and construction company Murray & Roberts. The country's biggest bank Standard Bank and number two cellphone operator MTN have already contributed. (Reuters, 3 Apr. 2002)

Enthusiasm and Some Concerns Voiced Over Partnership Proposals: The idea of using the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a launching pad for new partnerships between governments, the private sector, and community and citizen groups gained considerable momentum during a wide-ranging discussion of the concept at PrepCom III for the Summit [but qualifications expressed by EU, and concerns expressed by Third World Network and Women's Caucus] (United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2 Apr. 2002)

Loans for tune-up equipment to help Pakistan cut air pollution: UNDP has joined with the Government of Pakistan to set up a US$3 million revolving loan fund to help auto mechanics and vehicle service stations improve vehicle fuel efficiency, thereby cutting air pollution...The nine-member ECF board of directors includes UNDP Resident Representative Onder Yucer and representatives of the government, civil society and the private sector. (U.N. Development Programme, 2 Apr. 2002)

UN Global Compact Case Studies of Multistakeholder Partnership: Policy Dialogue on Business in Zones of Conflict (edited by Virginia Haufler, University of Maryland, Apr. 2002)

Broadening the Corporate Commitment to HIV and AIDS [refers to positive steps by Coca-Cola, Hewlett-Packard, Unilever, Anglo American, BHP Billiton, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, DaimerChrysler, De Beers] (Business for Social Responsibility, Apr. 2002)

New partnership promotes business for women and HIV/AIDS education in Africa: UNDP and the Business Women's Network [parent company is New York-based iVillage] recently launched a new alliance to help expand women's entrepreneurship and HIV/AIDS education throughout Africa. (U.N. Development Programme, 28 Mar. 2002)

M&S offers work to the homeless [UK]: Marks and Spencer will announce today 600 work placements to get homeless people off the streets and into permanent jobs. The initiative is believed to be the biggest so far by any of the 90-plus companies in the Business Action on Homelessness campaign. (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 27 Mar. 2002)

How to develop win-win partnerships in developing markets: Established in 1998 at the initiative of the World Bank, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources (BPD/NRC) has conducted a three-year exercise to see if business, government and civil society can get better results by partnering up in developing countries. [report on a project in India involving Integrated Coal Mining Limited, community leaders in the affected villages and local government officials] (Michael Warner, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, 22 Mar. 2002)

Corporate social responsibility to be a new form of cultural revolution: SAARC Secretary General - Corporate Social Responsibility in South Asia would be a new form of cultural revolution and the corporate sector should invest, keeping in mind the medium and the long term interests, rather than the short term. This was stated by Mr Q A M A Rahim, Secretary General, South Asian Association of Regional Conference at a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry...Mr Rahim said that development was a joint activity and should not be the sole responsibility or prerogatives of the governments. Stressing that issues such as economic welfare and upliftment, overall social improvements in sectors like education, health and sanitation, housing and employment required the full involvement and participation of all actors in the system... (Confederation of Indian Industry, 20 Mar. 2002)

SABCOHA [South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS] to provide information base for business in war against HIV/AIDS (South African Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, 19 Mar. 2002)

Corporate Social Responsibility in emerging economies:...Recently a survey conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry shows that among its 3000 member companies in India, a mere 6.8% (206) have incorporated CSR into their agenda. In much of South Asia the number of organisations promoting CSR are few and far between. (Lakshmi V Venkatesan, in Business Standard [India], 18 Mar. 2002

Harnessing business for African development: Business for Africa was formally launched today at the start of the United Nation's International Conference for Financing and Development in Monterrey, Mexico...The group provides a forum for the private sector to interact with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). The group will share information on trade and investment opportunities in Africa and encourage private sector involvement in sustainable development projects...Business for Africa comprises the ICC - the world business organization, African Business Roundtable, The Business Humanitarian Forum, Commonwealth Business Council, Conseil Francais des Investisseurs en Afrique, Forum Francophone des Affaires and the International Business Leaders Forum. (Business for Africa, 18 Mar. 2002)

When exploration rights meet human rights: OIL INDUSTRY: The importance of remaining on good terms with the local community is more than just a matter of security -...what is clear is that simply building a fence, calling in the local military or a private security firm and getting on with the business of extracting, transporting and selling oil is no longer good enough [refers to Premier Oil, Shell, BP, Occidental Petroleum, Statoil, ExxonMobil] (Sarah Murray, Financial Times, 15 Mar. 2002)

Coca-Cola and UNDP partnership to help bridge digital divide in Malaysia (U.N. Development Programme, 6 Mar. 2002)

Computer training in Tanzania benefits students and their country:...The Tanzanian programme benefits from the Least Developed Countries Initiative set up by Cisco Systems and UNDP to promote ICT training in countries facing the widest digital divide. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Mar. 2002)

Global firms challenged to push human rights: America's global corporations should be doing more to promote rights in the countries where they do business, one of the [Bush] administration's human-rights leaders [Paula Dobriansky, U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs] said Monday. (R.C. Longworth, Chicago Tribune, 5 Mar. 2002)

African entrepreneurs join forces with UNIFEM to shrink digital divide for women: UNIFEM announced today the formation of a unique Global Advisory Committee comprised of African IT entrepreneurs living in the Diaspora and in Africa, as well as representatives from the private sector [including Cisco] and the UN system. (UNIFEM - United Nations Development Fund for Women, 1 Mar. 2002)

Starbucks Offers Fairtrade Certified Coffee in the UK: Agreement with Fairtrade Foundation to Roll Out Coffee in All Stores by Summer (Starbucks, 26 Feb. 2002)

NETAID: High-Tech Anti-Poverty Promoter Refocuses On Education - Online donation portal NetAid [backed partly by Cisco] has refocused its efforts to support charities that provide education in developing countries, scaling back its original mission after coming under fire for its initial flashy efforts, the San Jose Mercury News reported yesterday. (UN Wire, 26 Feb. 2002)

HSBC to send staff to become eco-warriers: HSBC, one of the world's biggest banks, said it will send 2,000 of its staff to work on environmental projects around the world in a partnership with three charities. The global banking group is giving $50 million over five years to the partnership, which comprises global environment network WWF, Earthwatch and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. (Reuters, 25 Feb. 2002)

Twenty years of encouraging responsibility: BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY [UK]: With 700 large members, the charity appears a great success. But it is using its anniversary to reflect on how to get companies to take social issues more seriously...BITC has spent the past decade arguing that throwing cash at community groups means little if a company treats its employees unfairly, pollutes the environment or fails to understand its ethnic minority customers (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 22 Feb. 2002)

$50 Million Invested in Nature: A US$50 million contribution from financial service's giant HSBC Group will fund a five year partnership to support conservation projects around the world..."Companies as well as individuals have a responsibility for the stewardship of this planet, which we hold in trust for the future," said HSBC chair Sir John Bond (Environment News Service, 22 Feb. 2002)

Jospin calls for public-private partnership on global development: Prime Minister Lionel Jospin called for a partnership between governments and private businesses on global development to ensure people have access to the four "fundamental rights" of a safe environment, water, health and education...He also urged the establishment of rules on transparency and a clear definition of companies' "social and environmental responsibilities".  (AFX, 22 Feb. 2002)

Helping Africa's Banks to Help Africa [regarding African banks financing development in Africa] (allAfrica.com, 13 Feb. 2002)

Private Firms and Nonprofits Link Up to Help Bridge "Digital Divide": The Global Digital Opportunity Initiative...aims to close the "digital divide" by providing pro-bono expertise and tools to help developing countries meet healthcare and education needs, and reduce poverty...Private companies, including AOL Time Warner, Cisco Systems, Grameen Bank, Hewlett-Packard, n-Logue Communication, PicoPeta Simputers, and Sun Microsystems, will offer their services together with nonprofit and international organizations...So far three countries--Bolivia, Tanzania, and Mozambique--have applied to take part in the program. (Beth Bolitho, OneWorld, 11 Feb. 2002) 

Summit chief says "enlightened" businesses understand benefits of sustainable development: Secretary General of the Johannesburg Summit, Nitin Desai has called on major corporations around the world to dramatically increase their involvement in sustainable development initiatives. (International Chamber of Commerce, 4 Feb. 2002)

World Economic Forum: CEOs Call for Greater Corporate Engagement Against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Leading CEOs from the World Economic Forum’s Global Health Initiative issued an Executive Statement today as a rallying cry to the business community to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. (World Economic Forum, 2 Feb. 2002)

Chiron Corporation and Global Alliance for TB Drug Development Agree on License of PA-824 Compound for New Tuberculosis Therapeutics (Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, 1 Feb. 2002)

Case Study: Placer Dome - Building corporate reputation and trust in Venezuela (Michael Warner, Business Partners for Development/Natural Resources Cluster, in Ethical Corporation Magazine, Feb. 2002)

The Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS and the Confederation of Indian Industry announce a partnership to increase business action in India - Memorandum of Understanding (The Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS and the Confederation of Indian Industry, 31 Jan. 2002)

Public-Private Partnership Leads Fight Against HIV/Aids [in Botswana]:...The Gates Foundation, partnerships with Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb and the Harvard AIDS Institute all form "very strong" U.S. components of the southern African nation's Aids fight. (allAfrica.com, 31 Jan. 2002)

LEPROSY: Alliance Meets In Brazil, Aims To Eliminate Disease By 2005 -...Alliance partners Novartis AG, which provides free multi-drug therapy to leprosy patients, and the Nippon Foundation are also participating in the conference (UN Wire, 31 Jan. 2002)

Round Table Report: Development Agency Round Table on Corporate Social Responsibility...The objective of the Round Table was to assess the role of bilateral development agencies in promoting pro-poor CSR and explore how development agencies could interact with the international business and development communities and developing countries, particularly in the context of preparations for the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. (International Institute for Environment and Development, 28-29 Jan. 2002)

Amnesty International USA Award Remarks by BSR's Bob Dunn [CEO, Business for Social Responsibility]:..."At their worst, companies support repressive governments, rely on the military and police to secure private gain, and engage directly in the abuse of their own workers. At their best, companies can bring pressure to bear on regimes that are human rights violators, collaborate with others to promote economic and social justice, and they demonstrate respect for the rights of others wherever they do business around the world.." (Bob Dunn, CEO, Business for Social Responsibility, 28 Jan. 2002)

V.P Njie Saidy Launches Shell African Aids Initiative (Daily Observer [Gambia], 25 Jan. 2002)

Local Utilities and Labor Union Assist Hotel and Restaurant Workers In the Nation's Capital in the Aftermath of 9-11 [Washington, D.C.]: It was an opportunity for hotel and restaurant workers [laid off since 11 September] to apply for discounts on their utility bills...Volunteers from Pepco, Washington Gas, Verizon and the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority (WASA) were on hand to process applications and answer questions regarding utility discount programs. (PRNewswire, 25 Jan. 2002)

Pioneering Conservation And Tourism Project Wins Innovative Private Sector Backing: New funding helps kick-start International Year of Ecotourism - The goal of developing sustainable tourism in some of the world's most beautiful, yet fragile natural environments received a major boost today...Aveda, the global cosmetics company, has agreed to give US $500,000 to the project that is jointly managed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), ...UNESCO and RARE Center for Tropical Conservation. (U.N. Environment Programme, 24 Jan. 2002) 

Procter & Gamble to Provide $1.5 Million to TechnoServe to Help Small-Scale Coffee Growers In Latin America:..."P&G's and TechnoServe's shared goal is to find a sustainable way of making coffee growing as profitable as possible for as many people as possible" (joint press statement by TechnoServe and Procter & Gamble, 23 Jan. 2002)

'Conflict of Interest' Charge for Gates-Backed Health Fund: Directors of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) will be told by the authors of a new health report that they are in danger of putting the sale of costly new vaccines ahead of their aim of halting millions of preventable child deaths..."we must ensure that this initiative does not become a marketing vehicle for the pharmaceutical companies by increasing demand for expensive new vaccines," she [Annie Heaton, private-sector research analyst at Save the Children] said. (Daniel Nelson, OneWorld UK, 18 Jan. 2002) 

Governments challenged to back green energy: Former Shell boss, Sir Mark Moody Stuart today challenged Western Governments to increase their renewable energy targets, at the launch of The Body Shop and Greenpeace International campaign, Choose Positive Energy. (Body Shop & Greenpeace, Choose Positive Energy campaign, 18 Jan. 2002)

Government exporting global warming, say campaigners [UK]: Environmental campaigners today accused the government of 'exporting global warming' after it was revealed that the UK has put up billions of pounds to fund fossil fuel projects in the developing world...The new research was released this morning at a briefing by Greenpeace and the Body Shop to promote the 'Choose Positive Energy' campaign which is running in 27 countries and designed to bring renewable energy to the two billion people without access to electricity. (Greenpeace & Body Shop, 18 Jan. 2002)

Nigeria: UNDP sets up fund to fight poverty - A fund to promote poverty eradication and community development in Nigeria has been launched by the UN Development Programme...Sirka Korpela, director of the UNDP division for business partnerships, described the initiative as an offshoot of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact. (IRIN - U.N. Integrated Regional Information Network, 17 Jan. 2002)

Working with Ericsson, UN sets up mobile telephone service in Afghanistan:...Ericsson and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) worked to set up a complete mobile telecommunications network dedicated to supporting UN humanitarian operations in the war-ravaged country (UN News Centre, 16 Jan. 2002)

UK Bank Offers Green Mortgages: Co-operative Bank...has gone out on a limb to provide its customers a "carbon-neutral" mortgage product. The bank conducts free energy checks on financed buildings to determine how much carbon is needed to operate them. It then plants trees in Uganda to offset the projected emissions while helping indigenous populations. (Susan Wennemyr, SocialFunds.com, 14 Jan. 2002)

BP Foundation aids action against poverty in East Timor: The BP Foundation is partnering with UNDP and Save the Children Federation to help raise living standards in East Timor. (U.N. Development Programme, 3 Jan. 2002)