Shell and Ferrovial at Corporate Ethics Summit in Barcelona, 13-14 Oct, Call for action

international | summit mobilisations | news report

Sunday October 12, 2008 12:39

by TaraWatch

info at tarawatch dot org

We need activists to attend conference or help with email campaign

FERROVIAL, who are building the M3 motorway through the Tara archaeological complex and SHELL, who are building the gas pipeline in Mayo are just two of the companies attending a conference on Stakeholder Engagement, within the realm of Corporate Social Responsibility in Barcelona this Monday and Tuesday, 13th and 14th of October We need people to help us engage in the conference, by sending activists and emailing participants. http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT CONFERENCE
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/

This week there is a major conference on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Barcelona, called 'Stakeholder Engagement' - (that's supposed to mean you)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business and corporate social opportunity[1]) is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsib...ility

CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp

"Companies that build strong relationships with their constituencies - suppliers, customers, employees - are at an advantage"

The message is clear: You must take stakeholder engagement seriously to survive as a business in this increasingly CSR-conscious world.The quote above, from research conducted by the IFC and SustainAbility, is a clear call to arms - and is the reason for the Stakeholder Engagement Summit 2008.

* 60% of consumers admire companies that appear to be taking action on the environment. Do you want to be one of those admired companies? Then come to the Stakeholder Engagement Summit - we can show you how.
* 37% of employees see their company's commitment to sustainability as a PR exercise, nothing more. How do you make sure you're not disappointing your workforce? How can you make sure you are engaging them fully in, and making them passionate about, CSR?
* 94% of CR executives said that they are working to green their supply chain. Are you? And if not, how long can you last? Learn some concrete steps.
* 50% of companies will deselect suppliers for not meeting sustainability criteria. But the question is - is this half correct? Or is there more to this issue?
* 90% of investors said that environmental and social governance factors would have an impact on the value of a company. How do you let the socially responsible investment community know that you care? That you know your CSR risk? That you are dealing with it?
* 91% of people believe that working for a 'good' company servies as an extension of their personal branding as an ethical person. Do you want to lose out on the 91% of your employee pool that cares about their company being ethical? Or would you like to make sur your employees are fully integrated into your CSR policy?

Without question, CSR is becoming a vital issue for all stakeholders - employees, consumers, suppliers, NGOs, investors and your local community. How do you make sure that you are engaging with these stakeholders - letting them know what you are doing well, and getting the benefits of their expertise and advice?

The answer is the Stakeholder Engagement Summit - taking place on the 13th and 14th October in Barcelona. With a truly European speaker roster, if you attend you not only get a view of the stakeholder engagement horizon. You get an in-depth examination from an international body of experts.

Book your ticket now, quickly and securely!

Topics to be discussed at this industry-leading event include:

* The business case for stakeholder engagement: The real reasons you should be engaging with your stakeholders - and how they can make a positive impact on your bottom line
* Unleash the potential of your strongest assets: Learn how to assess the real value of your human capital - and how much more your employees could contribute to your business success
* How to measure your impact: Get a clear idea of your engagement success - measuring the effect of your strategy on NGOs, employees, suppliers and more
* Take on the best advice: How to incorporate the information and advice you get from stakeholders to turn you into a more responsive - and responsible - business

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HOW YOU CAN BE ENGAGED WITH

We need your help as time is against us here. In addition to sending someone down to Barcelona, we should concentrate on contacting the NOG's who are participating in the Stakeholder Engagement conference in Barcelona. There are a number of groups listed as speaking at it, and I bet none of them know what Ferrovial or Shell are doing here in Ireland. If we email them, there is a good possibility they will raise our concerns at the conference. The whole idea of the event is that groups like ours should have an opportunity to engage with the evil corporations. (Even head of corporate social responsibility for Lehman Brothers is speaking there...I wonder what he will have to say ;-) Shell are there too. So, let's really work hard on this one over the next day or two.

We need to find email addresses for all the people below:

- Rainforest Alliance: Angel Llavero, Regional Co-ordinator, TREES programme, Europe

- Global eSustainability Initiative, Katrina Destree, Executive Director

- International Interfaith Investment Group 3iG, Katinka van Cranenburgh, Secretary General

- Business in the Community, David Halley, Head of International Partnership

- The Carbon Disclosure Project, Frances Way, Head of Supply Chain

- The Environment Council, Winsome Gregor, Engagement Director

- Charities Aid Foundation, Kay Clark, Senior Business Development Manager

- Charities Aid Foundation, Peter Cafferkey, Senior Company Relations Manager

- Earthwatch, Kay O'Regan, Corporate Partnerships Manager

- Sean Ansett, Social Accountability International

The two most important people to contact are:

- Melissa Whellams, CSR Advisor - Canadian Business for Social Responsibility who is Chair of Ferrovial session(I wonder if she read the Toronto Star article this week?)

- Alicia Grandanos, Chairperson - Foretica - A Spanish NGO, who are speaking at the first session:

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Plenary Session 1: The benefits of real engagement
The Business Case for Stakeholder Engagement
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/stakeholder/agenda.asp

Stakeholder engagement is an integral part of what CSR means to your organisation. It is a vast and complex issue. In this session we try to get to the bottom of why a stakeholder engagement strategy matters to your business:

* Understanding stakeholder engagement - How to putt it all together, forma cohesive strategy and then implement that strategy
* Creating a joined-up approach - avoid a fragmented approach that hinders the effectiveness of your stakeholder programme
* Why viewing stakeholder engagement as simply a communications tool is missing the point - and the value
* What stakeholder engagement can do for you: boost brand, boost sales and motivate employees

* Arcelor Mittal, Remi Boyer, Vice-President of CSR
* Lehman Brothers, Charlotte Grezo, Head of Sustainability
* MODERATED BY: Foretica, Alicia Grandanos, Chairperson

Forética
http://www.eurosif.org/member_affiliates/list_of_member...etica

Forética is a non profit multistakeholder organization working on promoting ethical and socially responsible policies. We work with companies and institutions at the core of their corporate values. Based in Spain, our seven years of experience advising businesses have produced solid frameworks for auditable management systems.

Region: Spain & Argentina

Forética´s services are based around three different lines of activities:

1. CSR Certification: Managing and operating the harmonized system for auditing companies versus the SGE 21 standard. No communication between consulting and auditing services is guaranteed by the system. We separate consulting and auditing services by creating different pools.

2. Knowledge: research and development of knowledge for our clients is our value proposition. We track the market for new ideas and opportunities in the CSR management field. That, added to our in-house research studies keep our partners on the forefront of CSR via several series of various publications. Foretica also organizes open door sessions for benchmarking and raising awareness among different stakeholder groups.

3. Services: Forética provides guidance and assessments of current performance for companies that want to start out in the CSR field. We work in the professional education field, carrying out training programs for CSR consultants, auditors and managers.
Contact details
Plz. Canalejas 6 – 4°izq
28014 Madrid
Spain
Contact: jsilos@foretica.es
Website: http://www.foretica.es
Phone: +34 91 245 90 13
Fax: +34 91 245 90 26

SHELL

Shell International, Albert Wong, Head of Policy and External Relations is also speaking at this conference.

CONTENTS OF EMAILS ABOUT TARA / M3

If you are going to go ahead and mail anyone about Tara, please keep it civil and speak to the facts, from the moral high ground:

- Tara is on the World Monuments Fund - 2008 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites List due to Ferrovial building M3 there
http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id=

- Lismullin henge, voted one of the Top Ten most important archaeological discoveries in 2008 by the Archaeological Institute of America publication, 'Archaeology' magazine, was demolished to make way for the M3, by Ferrovial
http://www.archaeology.org/0801/topten/tara.html

Then add some articles from national and international media:

- Tara protesters block depot to halt road works - Wednesday May 23 2007
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/tara-protesters....html

- M3 route likely to open ahead of 2010 deadline
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0126/1....html

- High Court rejects bid to halt work on M3 motorway
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0314/1....html

- Activists call on Minister to visit Tara
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0315/1....html

- Celtic Tiger threatens 'very soul of historic Ireland' - Oct 07, 2008
http://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/512894

- In Ireland, Commuters vs. Kings - January 22, 2005
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27671-20....html

AND some video:

Interview with Professor George Eogan - 21 March 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk_9zkgIcxo

Interview with Jonathan Rhys Myers at human harp protest on Tara
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzaMBJVbmr4

Footage of Ferrovial security assaulting protestors
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXtF0KeAFpI

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Please search for email addresses and post them to this thread, or info@tarawatch.org

Please contact supporters in Barcelona, and Indymedia Spain