Global Corporations Working for Social Change
19 November 2010 at 1:59 pm
12 Global Corporations have been named by The Foundation for Social Change and the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP) as 2010 Leaders of Change for their commitment to delivering sustainable business solutions, and helping to solve the world's most pressing challenges.
The 2010 Leaders of Change awardees include: Coca-Cola (clean water initiative), Nike (sustainability & education), Anvil Knitwear (sustainability), Calvert Investments (social responsible investing), Groupo Santander Bank Brazil (ethics and transparency), Ceres (climate change), Interface (environment) Dow Chemical (sustainability), Groupe Danone (social business), Stonyfield Farm (sustainability), and Reebok (human rights).
The companies received the honour at the annual Global Conference for Social Change: Turning Social Responsibility Into Social Action in New York.
The Conference goes beyond traditional corporate responsibility, and demonstrates how taking ‘social action’ is more effective to opening up new markets, using innovative technologies and developing cross-sector partnerships that positively impact social issues.
Amir Dossal, Executive Director of UNOP says this year’s honourees are an exemplary group of individuals and organisations who represent the strong leadership role needed to address social issues.
Dossal says corporate engagement is essential to the international community’s efforts to alleviate poverty, ensure clean water, and help underserved populations realize healthy living. He says the Leaders of Change Awards recognise the creativity, technology and resources that the private sector brings to our collective efforts in solving social problems.
The Leader of Change Awards recognised 12 global corporations, selected by a committee made up from representatives from the UNOP, World Economic Forum, Grameen Creative Lab, NYU Stern School of Business and the Foundation for Social Change.
The deadline for meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is set for 2015, and the United Nations supports the efforts of the private sector to take a more active role to achieving these Goals.
Wow, UN, you certainly have a sense of humor. You are nominating Dow for this award. Dow, current owner of Union Carbide, who has killed 25,000 in Bhopal, where the factory is sitting there rotting away. Sure, Carbide paid $470 million in an out-of-court settlement, which meant survivors received, if anything, $500 USD for a lifetime of health issues. Which, as Dow's spokesperson said is "plenty for an Indian."
Dow Chemical just had its subsidiary, Dow Agrosciences, banned in India for five years because of its unethical business practices (as in, bribing the gov't to push untested chemicals into the market).
This has GOT to be a joke. Please don't tell me that you guys fall for the Dow PR schemes too.