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New Haven Declaration on Corporate Financial Transparency Brings Together Unique Coalition of Asset Management Firms and Civil Society Organizations January 16th, 2011
A unique coalition of asset management firms and civil society organizations issued a statement on January 11th committing to call on governments and relevant multilateral institutions to establish a country-by-country financial reporting standard for multinational corporations. The “New Haven Declaration on Corporate Financial Transparency” establishes links between corporate accountability, business practices, and economic development and poverty alleviation.
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate was among the initial signatories of the declaration, alongside groups like Trillium Asset Management and Wealth for the Common Good. The signatories together represent $20 billion in combined assets under management.
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January 11th – Human Trafficking Day January 12th, 2011
January 11th is Human Trafficking Day, so we encourage you to spend some time learning about slavery in the modern economy.
Human trafficking — the buying and selling of human beings — is far from a thing of the past. Free the Slaves estimates that over 27 million men, women, and children are enslaved in the world today, being forced to labor in fields, factories, sweatshops, brothels, battlefields, and private homes.
People are trafficked within countries and across borders, and they are trafficked to and from almost everywhere in the world — the Polaris Project estimates that 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States every year, in addition to thousands of citizens being trafficked within the country.
In early January, President Obama declared January to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Today, January 11th, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Read more on the Care2 blog or check out our website page on human trafficking for a host of links and resources on human trafficking and modern day slavery.
Community Organizing Booklets Available January 7th, 2011
Engaged in community organizing? Looking for some good resources? Interested in learning more? Check out a new series of small booklets on community organizing from ACTA Publishing in Chicago.
Titles include:
Reflecting with Scripture on Community Organizing; author Jeff Krehbiel explores four key passages from the Bible and how they might inform community organizing. There are directions in the back of the book for using the reflections for group discussion.
Rebuilding Our Institutions; by author Ernie Cortes. This booklet contains his analysis of the need for mediating institutions if democracy is to flourish.
Action Creates Public Life by Ed Chambers, argues that it is by taking action that we define who we are as adults. Chambers’ previous booklets, The Power of Relational Action and The Body Trumps the Brain are also available.
Effective Organizing for Congregational Renewal by Mike Gecan offers advice and case studies on how to use the tools of community organizing inside congregations of all faiths and denominations.
ACTA Publishing is a lay-owned religious-oriented press which publishes “a wide variety of materials for those attempting to live out the Christian faith in their daily lives, on their jobs, with their families, and in their communities.” The new booklets focus on CO especially as practiced by the Industrial Areas Foundation.
Booklets retail for $5.95 each, with discounts available for multiple copies.
The Press also offers other books of interest to people active in the life of their communities. Order the booklets and learn more at www.actapublications.com. Go to the Community Organizing part of the site to find the list of booklets listed above. If you need further assistance, please contact the OMI JPIC Office by calling or emailing Mary O’Herron or Christina Herman.
New Videos Showcase JPIC Work Among Oblates and Affiliates December 2nd, 2010
The Oblate JPIC Office is now creating videos to showcase work in the Oblate world on Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation. The first is with Canadian Oblate priest, Fr. Renaud, OMI of St. Paul University, Ottawa, Canada on the JPIC Formation of university students.
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Help Fight World Hunger This Thanksgiving November 23rd, 2010
Here are two important things to do during your Thanksgiving holiday to help fight world hunger:
1) Take action to counteract the massive presence of Wall Street lobbyists in Washington working to insure their profits at the expense of people – call your Senators and ask them to prevent excessive speculation in commodity markets.
At a time when we stop to remember how thankful we are for food on our plates, let’s help make sure that this is a reality for people everywhere. In 2008, price bubbles in food and energy prices led to $4 gasoline in the U.S. and forced over 130 million people world-wide to go hungry, according to the UN. An important factor behind those price bubbles was excessive speculation in the food and energy commodity markets.
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