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

==

HOW YOU CAN BE ENGAGED WITH

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

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

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

- Global eSustainability Initiative, Katrina Destree, Executive Director

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

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

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

- The Environment Council, Winsome Gregor, Engagement Director

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

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

- Earthwatch, Kay O'Regan, Corporate Partnerships Manager

- Sean Ansett, Social Accountability International

The two most important people to contact are:

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

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

==

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

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

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

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

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

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

Region: Spain & Argentina

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

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

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

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

SHELL

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

CONTENTS OF EMAILS ABOUT TARA / M3

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

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

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

Then add some articles from national and international media:

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND some video:

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

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

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

=

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

Please contact supporters in Barcelona, and Indymedia Spain

Caption: Video Id: dk_9zkgIcxo Type: Youtube Video
Interview with Professor George Eogan - 21 March 2008

Caption: Video Id: fzaMBJVbmr4 Type: Youtube Video
Interview with Jonathan Rhys Myers at human harp protest on Tara

Caption: Video Id: hXtF0KeAFpI Type: Youtube Video
Footage of Ferrovial security assaulting protestors

Comments (4 of 4)

Bad link above - correction

Sun Oct 12, 2008 14:17

World Monuments Fund 1008 List of 100 Most Endangered Sites - Hill of Tara entry:
http://wmf.org/watch2008/watch.php?id=S8351

BCN response

by dunk

Sun Oct 12, 2008 19:01

fuspey at yahoo dot co dot uk

We`ll do what we can

Tuesday before last we screened "those who dance" in local social centre infoespai, we have been engaging in dialogue about whats going on in Rossport and organising for future actions, we will try to get there and make presence felt, can you send on more details, or ideas for action etc.

Related file is : Ven al camping de la Solidaridad de Rossport, which translates roughly as Come to the Rossport solidarity camp, as far as we know it was made my an anarchist collective here in BCN earlier this year, the phone number does not get a response.

We will try to show "the plunder" somewhere, theres a fair bit on that we are organising related to the last week of the GEF 08, global eco forum

links:

http://infoespai.org/

Ven al camping de la Solidaridad de Rossport
http://www.wiserearth.org/file/view/b5aa37c9155be320897...9030a

The Plunder
http://politube.org/show/957

GEF 08
http://www.global-ecoforum.org/index.php?lang=english

GEF 08 - the virtual encounter
http://global-ecoforum.ning.com/

Ven al camping de la Solidaridad de Rossport

PRofiting from so-called 'Sustainability'

Mon Oct 13, 2008 00:47

Glad S2S had got some pulling power in Espania. We just heard back from the conference organiser, who says that the Ferrovial rep 'may not be attending' now because they are having trouble getting a translator. Please.

Anyway, we just wanted to let people know about how important the CSR stuff is. If you look at the Ferrovial rep he is in charge of two things. Corporate Responsibility on one hand and Reputacion on the other. This is all about PR, which means PRofits. Ferrovial web site has a very telling press release:

Ferrovial consolidates its position as one of the 300 most sustainable companies in the world
09/5/2008 http://www.ferrovial.com/en/index.asp?MP=18&MS=338&MN=2...=1024*768

" For the seventh consecutive year, Ferrovial is included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI)
" Noteworthy progress made in the management of human resources and community investment programs

Madrid, 5th September 2008. Ferrovial has consolidated its position as one of the 300 most sustainable companies in the world, as confirmed by the latest report from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (http://www.sustainability-index.com/).

For the seventh consecutive year, Ferrovial ranks amongst the leading companies, both in the European Index (DJSI STOXX), and the worldwide index (DJSI World). The Dow Jones Sustainability Index is the benchmark for companies committed to sustainability, with $6bn (€4.1bn) invested.

In 2008, The Dow Jones Sustainability Index has reviewed 2,500 companies across the world, of which 320 have been included in the list. In Europe the index has analyzed 600 companies of which 162 have been selected.

Being included in this prestigious index requires each company to submit itself to analysis of its best practices, and of its ability to generate value over the long-term, based on 19 different criteria, organized in 3 dimensions: Economic, Social and Environmental.

Social Dimension

In 2008, the company managed to improve its position with respect to previous years. Dow Jones Sustainability has highlighted Ferrovials progress in the Social dimension, in which the analysis takes into account aspects such as human resources management, talent management and retention, health & safety strategies and community investment. This recognition complements the positive results in the areas relating to the environment and corporate risk management, in which Ferrovial has been recognised as one of the best managed companies in the last few years.

The indices, published in Zurich (Switzerland), demonstrate the solidity of the companys sustainability strategy and its integration into the business activity of the group. The company has again showed its consistency, being the first Spanish company in its sector (Heavy Construction) which has figured in the index for 7 consecutive years.

Ferrovial is one of the strongest Spanish companies in this index, which began in 1999 and has become a worldwide benchmark for the companies committed to the criteria of sustainability.

In 2002, Ferrovial became the first Spanish construction company to enter the sustainability index. In this latest report, there are now 20 Spanish companies that have achieved this feat such as FCC, Criteria and Enagás. Ferrovial is also part of the FTSE4Good (http://www.ftse.com/), both in the UK and in Spain, and the European benchmark index for ethical investment, Ethibel (http://www.ethibel.org/subs_e/4_index/main.html).

For more infomation:
Cristina Moral Zarrabeitia cmoral@ferrovial.es

And here they are, not only building a motorway through Tara, but they got stopped last year from building a motorway thorough an area of special conservation in Poland. Luckily, not everyone is buying their sustainable carry on. We are in touch with GES Investments who still have Ferrovial on their watch list, and are very interested in the Tara issue.

Investors urge Ferrovial to take the environmental lane in Polish road conflict
http://www.ges-invest.com/pages/?ID=78
GES Newsletter - June 1, 2007

A controversial road project in Poland has taken the expressway to the European Court of Justice, as well as to the agenda of several international institutional investors. Spanish construction company Grupo Ferrovial is associated to endangering distinct wildlife when building a by-pass through an EU Special Protection Area (SPA). The investors will now try to influence the company based on advice from GES Investment Services, who believes the prospects of successful engagement are good.

"This is an extremely important case for investors to engage in, since it concerns one of the last remaining virgin lands in Europe. The planned routing can be associated to violations of EU environmental laws as well as the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Such violations of international norms pose a considerable reputational and financial risk to the company and its investors", says Magnus Furugård, President and Managing Director of GES Investment Services, which provides analyses and consultation for institutional clients with an estimated amount of assets of more than €220 billion.

Grupo Ferrovial and its Polish subsidiary Budimex are two of four new-comers to GES' latest list of companies to engage with or exclude, according to the analysis model GES Global Ethical Standard which is based on international norms for environment, human rights and business ethics.

Budimex has been contracted by the Polish government to build part of the Via Baltica expressway, an EU instigated road project running the length of Poland to improve transport connections between the Baltic countries and the rest of Europe. During early 2007, the European Commission repeatedly sent warning letters to the government regarding its choice of routing where a controversial part will by-pass the Rospuda river valley, which has been assigned by the EU as a SPA protected by two pieces of legislation – the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive.

This area contains unspoilt habitats within one of the largest and best maintained primeval forests in Central Europe. A number of extremely rare species of animals and plants are endangered by the road project, e.g. lynx, wolf and fen orchid. Reportedly, an independent Strategic Environmental Assessment states there are alternative routings that would not harm protected areas.

As no satisfactory response was received from the government within due time, the commission publicly announced in March that it took Poland to the European Court of Justice.

"On the positive side, the prospects are good for making Grupo Ferrovial seriously address the environmental risks associated to this project. The company is committed to the UN Global Compact principles and has a fairly comprehensive environmental management system in place. The remaining challenge is to integrate it fully into every subsidiary and project. In addition, we believe our Polish subsidiary GES Research Centre will be of invaluable assistance in our engagement with Budimex", says Helene Regnell, Research Director of GES Investment Services.

In the Polish case, the EU took legal action to stop the motorway, because EU money was being used to preserve the area in question. But in Ireland the EU decided not to seek an injunction to stop the demolition of Lismullin.

The battle to save places like Tara and Rossport has many fronts. The companies involved have been getting away with murder because campaigners have failed to hit them where it really hurts, in places like the DOW Jones Sustainability Index. A listing on there is worth billions. We have to find a way to expose them at that level.

DOW Jones Sustainability Index
http://www.sustainability-index.com/07_htmle/sustainabi....html

CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY

Corporate Sustainability is a business approach that creates long-term shareholder value by embracing opportunities and managing risks deriving from economic, environmental and social developments. Corporate sustainability leaders achieve long-term shareholder value by gearing their strategies and management to harness the market's potential for sustainability products and services while at the same time successfully reducing and avoiding sustainability costs and risks.

The quality of a company's strategy and management and its performance in dealing with opportunities and risks deriving from economic, environmental and social developments can be quantified and used to identify and select leading companies for investment purposes.

Leading sustainability companies display high levels of competence in addressing global and industry challenges in a variety of areas:

Strategy: Integrating long-term economic, environmental and social aspects in their business strategies while maintaining global competitiveness and brand reputation.

Financial: Meeting shareholders' demands for sound financial returns, long-term economic growth, open communication and transparent financial accounting.

Customer & Product: Fostering loyalty by investing in customer relationship management and product and service innovation that focuses on technologies and systems, which use financial, natural and social resources in an efficient, effective and economic manner over the long-term.

Governance and Stakeholder: Setting the highest standards of corporate governance and stakeholder engagement, including corporate codes of conduct and public reporting.

Human: Managing human resources to maintain workforce capabilities and employee satisfaction through best-in-class organisational learning and knowledge management practices and remuneration and benefit programs.

Corporate sustainability performance is an investable concept. This is crucial in driving interest and investments in sustainability to the mutual benefit of companies and investors. As this benefit circle strengthens, it will have a positive effect on the societies and economies of both the developed and developing world.

TaraWatch recently voted to sign up to the UN Global Compact, and try and engage on that level, because that is what it is designed for. NGOs have a important role to play, and there are rules of engagement, where an opportunity is given to have issues addressed, and problems resolved.

UN GLOBAL COMPACT
http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

The UN Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. By doing so, business, as a primary agent driving globalization, can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere.

Never before have the objectives of the international community and the business world been so aligned. Common goals, such as building markets, combating corruption, safeguarding the environment and ensuring social inclusion, have resulted in unprecedented partnerships and openness among business, government, civil society, labour and the United Nations. Many businesses recognize the need to collaborate with international actors in the current global context where social, political and economic challenges (and opportunities) – whether occurring at home or in other regions – affect companies as never before.

This ever-increasing understanding is reflected in the growth of the UN Global Compact, which today stands as the largest corporate citizenship and sustainability initiative in the world -- with over 5500 corporate participants and stakeholders from over 130 countries.

The UN Global Compact is a leadership platform, endorsed by Chief Executive Officers, and offering a unique strategic platform for participants to advance their commitments to sustainability and corporate citizenship. Structured as a public-private initiative, the UN Global Compact is policy framework for the development, implementation, and disclosure of sustainability principles and practices and offering participants a wide spectrum of specialized workstreams, management tools and resources, and topical programs and projects -- all designed to help advance sustainable business models and markets in order to contribute to the initiative's overarching mission of helping to build a more sustainable and inclusive global economy.

The Global Compact's ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from:

* The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
* The International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
* The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
* The United Nations Convention Against Corruption

The Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption:

Human Rights

* Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
* Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Labour Standards

* Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
* Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
* Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
* Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Environment

* Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
* Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
* Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.

Anti-Corruption

* Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

For a list of all the companies and banks, involved in the Tara scandal, here is a press release from SIAC Ferrovial, describing the Public Private Partnership contract for the M3 motorway:

SIAC wins biggest roads project ever tendered in Ireland
http://www.siac.ie/siac/index.jsp?pID=93&nID=104&aID=255

SIAC played a major role in securing the PPP contract for the largest road project awarded in the State, the M3 Clonee to North of Kells scheme. On 7th March, 2007, EuroLink Motorway Operation (M3) Limited ('EuroLink M3') signed, in partnership with the National Roads Authority National Roads Authority 'NRA', the largest Irish PPP roads contract.

The contract is to design, build, finance and operate the 50km M3 Clonee to North of Kells project under a 45-year concession. EuroLink M3 is owned by SIAC and Cintra (Concessiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A.). Cintra is a subsidiary of the leading international infrastructure developer, Grupo Ferrovial S.A.

Design and construction of the 2x2 lane motorway will be undertaken by a fully integrated joint venture between SIAC and Ferrovial Agroman S.A. and just over a three year programme is envisaged with the Motorway scheduled to open to traffic in mid-2010.

The project, valued at circa €650M, is funded by senior bank debt, shareholders' equity and grants from the National Roads Authority. Senior debt for the project has been provided by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A., Banco Santander Central Hispano, S.A. and Calyon.

TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend

Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:14

TaraWatch asks auditor general to probe €16bn NRA overspend

The Irish Examiner
By Eoin English - Monday, October 13, 2008

ACTIVISTS will accuse the State’s roads building body today of a staggering €16 billion overspend — more than the spiralling national debt. TaraWatch, the group fighting the building of the M3 motorway at the Hill of Tara, will also call for a halt on future road projects. It said it will lodge its complaint against the National Roads Authority (NRA) with the State’s spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG), accusing it of rampant overspending since 2000.....
http://www.examiner.ie/irishexaminer/pages/story.aspx-q...1.asp

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/89445
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