Corporate Social Responsibility and the Churches
May 14th, 2012
Thanks to the European Africa Faith & Justice Network for the following information:
Bishops call for increased corporate transparency
Catholic bishops urge the European Union to legislate on extractive companies
While a group of EU member states, including Germany and the UK, are attempting to water down new EU transparency legislation, Catholic bishops from around the world urge the EU to push forward and require European Union-listed and large unlisted extractive companies to publicly disclose the payments they make to governments worldwide. In a joint statement, they say less stringent laws will fail to turn the curse of resource-rich developing countries into a blessing.
European Union Transparency Directive may have a positive impact on the lives of poor people
Mgr Joseph Banga from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says the upcoming revision of the EU Transparency and Accounting Directives could have a positive impact on the lives of poor people living in resource-rich developing countries. If EU companies are required to report on a country-by-country and project-by-project basis on their financial dealings with host governments, citizens will be able to monitor the management of their natural resources.
Watch the video interview Mgr Joseph Banga from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) [in French with English subtitles]:
World Religious leaders protest against attitudes of mining companies
In many places around the world, religious leaders are protesting against mining companies and projects. What are their complaints? In Chad, that revenues intended to ease the pain of poverty are nowhere to be seen; in the DRC and in Nigeria that mining feeds devastating conflicts; in Ghana that mining in forest reserves threatens animal and plant species. The underlying story is one of broken promises, of powerful companies whose God is profit and of a wounded planet whose resources are despoiled harming the people who live nearby. On April 24, bishops, preachers, and advocates gathered at the Washington National Cathedral to explore how they might join forces both to draw attention to the harm that bad mining practices wreak on people and land, and to point to practical, positive ways to move forward. The Missionary Oblate JPIC Office was instrumental in organizing the conference.
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Related keywords: africa, corporations, extractives industry, mining, oblate jpic, transparency
