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Oblates Active in ICCR AGM in Boston June 10th, 2012
Simmons College, Boston, MA
The Oblates participated in the Annual General Meeting of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) that met at Simmons College in Boston from June 4-8. The corporate engagements over the last proxy season were evaluated – with successes celebrated, and plans laid for the 2012-2013 season. Areas in which the Oblates are active include: access to finance, extractives, global access to health, water, human trafficking, toxic chemicals, corporate governance and supply chain (labor) issues. John Ruggie, Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School and the UN Special Rapporteur behind the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights and Business was honored at a reception Wednesday evening.
The work on the financial services sector continues to be a high priority for ICCR members and has generated significant media attention. Resolutions and statements by religious investors continue to draw attention to the extensive moral and ethical responsibilities that corporate actors in this space assume. The enduring impact of the destruction of nearly 17 trillion dollars of wealth since the near financial meltdown of September 2008 is a clear justification of the need for such vigilance. This work by ICCR members has strongly supported the efforts of numerous homeowners in places like the San Fernando Valley CA and Prince William County in VA to stay in their homes and restore their communities.
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI and Sr. Judy Byron, OP at ICCR
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OEI Earth Literacy Group Views a Wonder of the Universe June 8th, 2012
The June 2012 Earth Literacy group at the Oblate Ecological Initiative was able to see the rare Venus transit with the help of local astronomers. After June 2012, the next pair of transits occurs on December 11, 2117 and December 8, 2125.
The OEI Earth Literacy Group, June 2012, Godfrey, Illinois
June is Torture Awareness Month June 8th, 2012
You are invited during the month of June to join the National Religious Campaign Against Torture and our partner organizations in reflecting and taking action to confront the “Culture of Torture.”
The Missionary Oblate JPIC Office is a member of the National Religious Coalition against Torture (NRCAT) and has endorsed the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC)
JPIC staff will participate in a June 21st event organized by TASSC, called Justice for Survivors of Torture. This event will feature the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Méndez, and will be held at Catholic University of America.
Resources:
Please share widely…
- NRCAT Worship resources (Download PDF) This is a Christian worship resource for use during Torture Awareness month. Please share with pastoral leaders in need of such material.
- Torture is a Moral Issue: A Catholic Study Guide
World Bank Increases Transparency June 1st, 2012
The Jubilee USA Network, of which the Missionary Oblates is a member, commends the World Bank for promoting an anti-corruption and anti-fraud position.
WASHINGTON, DC – The World Bank made an important move to promote transparency as they released this week’s sanctions board decisions on fraud, corruption and collusion cases. Jubilee USA commends the World Bank’s policy change to publicly disclose why they decide to sanction companies and individuals for corruption and fraud.
“This is a great move by the World Bank and everyone wins with this decision,” noted Eric LeCompte, Executive Director of Jubilee USA Network. “NGOs, businesses and governments can now better monitor patterns of fraud and corruption. Most importantly, the poor will benefit as this reporting further helps curb this behavior and ensures that resources are not stolen from the developing world.”
The sanctions board is an independent tribunal led by mainly external members and acts as the final decision-maker in all contested cases of World Bank funded projects. Historically, the World Bank only disclosed summaries of past board decisions but this new change in policy will give an in-depth review of every appeal and the logic behind deciding where misconduct occurred and what sanctions should be administered.
Canada Declares Support for Human Right to Water May 31st, 2012
In a surprising turnaround, Canada bowed to years of national and international pressure, deciding at last to recognize the human right to water and sanitation.
The Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest social justice advocacy organization, has campaigned for more than a decade to ensure the human right to water, and posted this response to the announcement on their website:
As recently as last month, Canada was isolated in the Rio+20 negotiations as the only country to publicly claim there is no legal basis for the right and call for its deletion. This position was untenable, however, almost two years after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution recognizing the right (GA Res. A/64/292) followed by three subsequent confirming Human Rights Council resolutions.
Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and a former UN Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the General Assembly, says, “It took unprecedented pressure to get this government to change its position, and the shift is a good thing, but words are not enough. We need actions, and the government’s actions directly contradict respect for the human right to water.”
The Council has consistently asked Canadian governments to show their commitment to water by implementing a national water act including a domestic plan of action on the human right to water. The Council of Canadians looks forward to the government providing a clear plan of what it intends to do to meet its international and domestic obligations with regard to the human right to water and sanitation.
