Business
& development papers
A series of
papers have been published by UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for
Special Development) relating to the role of business in sustainable development:
- Business Responsibility for Sustainable Development UNRISD Occasional Paper 2 Geneva 2000 by Peter Utting
- Partners in Time? Business, NGOs and Sustainable Development UNRISD Discussion Paper 109 by David F Murphy and Jem Bendel
- The Greening of Business in Mexico UNRISD Discussion Paper 110 by David Barkin
- Internetworking for
Social Change: Keeping the Spotlight on Corporate Responsibility UNRISD
Discussion Paper 111 by Kelly O'Neill.
UNRISD: Fax: + 1 22 917 0650 Web: www.unrisd.org/
Trade,
Seattle & UNCTAD
According to the United
Nations Development Update Newsletter No.30 (see www.un.org/News/devupdate/latest.htm
), the vacuum left after trade negotiations in Seattle underlines the
importance of discussions in other multi-lateral forums which address economic
issues in the wider development and social context - and particularly the
10th UNCTAD meeting in mid-February 2000 in Bangkok, as well as the 5-year
review of the Social Summit outcomes which will take place at the UN General
Assembly in June 2000 in Geneva.
To coincide with the World Trade Organisation in Seattle in Dec 1999, Oxfam published a Position Paper - Loaded against the poor : World Trade Organisation and a Briefing note - World trade rules and poor people's access to essential drugs. Contact Anni Long Oxfam: Fax:+ 44 1865 312245 Email: along@oxfam.org.uk Web: www.oxfam.org.uk
To mark the 10th UNCTAD Conference in Bangkok, Feb 2000, Oxfam produced a Position Paper Make trade work for the poor by Michael Bailey. Oxfam believes UNCTAD's key contribution to the achievement of the 20/15 DTs should be:
- To act as a forum for developing-country governments on 'pro-poor' economic development
- To carry out research on economic development perspective with a focus on distributional issues
- To provide technical assistance and capacity building services
- To address issues relating to TNCs, given their power in world markets.
Oxfam believes UNCTAD should take a 'propositional' as opposed to a passive and technical role, acting as a political counterweight to the WTO. Contact Michael Bailey: Email: mbailey@oxfam.org.uk Fax: + 44 1865 312245.
Also to coincide with Seattle, IDS, Sussex, produced a series of 10 Trade and Investment Background Briefings - 4-page summaries on issues such as: Developing Countries and Multilateralism; Regional Trade Agreements; Agricultural Trade; Trade Protection in the Textile and Clothing Industries; Intellectual Property Rights; International Investment Treaties and Developing Countries; Towards a Development Round; Trade in Services; Trade and Environmental Standards; International Competition Policy. IDS: Email: publications@ids.ac.uk Web: www.ids.ac.uk/ids Fax: + 44 1273 691647.
ODI Poverty Briefing 6 (Dec 1999) focuses on the issue of Trade Liberalisation and Poverty. This and other ODI Poverty Briefings are on ODI's Web: Email: publications@odi.org.uk www.oneworld.org/odi/ Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7393 1699.
The Nov 1999 issue of Development in Practice (Vol.9 No.5) looks at the social impact of globalisation. Development in Practice is available online - see the Carfax Home Page at: www.carfax.co.uk.cfx-elec.htm/. Contents pages can also be received by email by visiting: www.tandf.co.uk/journals.
Contagion and Cure is a booklet by David Woodward in the CIIR Comments series on tackling the crisis in global finance. The booklet contains 3 pages of recent further reading on global finance issues. CIIR: Email: ciir@ciir.org Web: www.ciir.org Fax: + 44 20 7354 0833.
Business
& Baby Milk
Nestle and companies such as Milupa, Abbott-Ross, Mead-Johnson and Wyeth
have come in for major criticism over the years on the issue of marketing
baby milk. Nestle have published two documents - Nestle Implementation of
the WHO Code (International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes):
Report to the Director-General WHO July 1999 and a leaflet International (WHO)
Code Action Report Edition 1 Oct 1999. The covering letter from Nestle's Chief
Executive notes that infant formula represents less than 2% of Nestle sales,
but also says that the company welcomes anyone calling the attention of Nestle
and governments to areas where the company needs to correct its actions. Web
www.babymilk.nestle.com
Postal address Nestle Avenue Nestle
55, CH-1800 Vevey, Switzerland, fax +41 21 921 1885.
For the latest perspective from the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) see the May 2001 report called Breaking the Rules, Stretching the Rules. For more info email Mike Brady UK Tel: 01223 464420 or IBFAN's International contact numbers Tel: +44 1223 464420 or see IBFAN's website.
Women
Entrepreneurs in South Africa
The particular needs of women entrepreneurs in starting
their own businesses are addressed in Women's Business Matters in South Africa,
which is addressed to organisations providing support for small and medium
enterprise in South Africa. For info on the guide, produced by the University
of Durham for DFID South Africa, email the authors P.A. Richardson@durham.ac.uk
or Christina.Hartshorn@durham.ac.uk
Shell,
People & Profits
Following the
updated statement of general business principles issued by Shell in 1997,
Shell's 1999 report, 'People, Planet & Profits - an Act of commitment',
aims to present a picture of the impact of the Shell group on society in economic,
environmental and social terms. The report explains Shell's new Sustainable
Development Management Framework (SDMF) and includes a number of performance
targets and independently verified data, as well as some external observers'
comments on Shell. Fax Robin Aram, 0171 934 6625, website www.shellreport.com
Sainsbury Windward
Link
Sainsbury's the UK based
supermarket chain are developing a long term partnership with the Windward
Islands to develop their fruit growing potential and provide Sainsbury's customers
with top quality exotic fruit - according to an article in Landmark (Issue
30, June/July 99), the newsletter of Farmers World network The Landmark newsletter
presents a very practical perspective on a range of global farming issues
- from composting municipal waste in Karnataka to the 30% growth in organic
banana sales and the issue of whether GMOs offer potential for developing
countries. Email fwn@ruralnet.org.uk
Fax + 44 (0) 1203 414808.
Business and Social
Enterprise in Japan
An organisation
concerned with organic agriculture involving 43,000 consumer members, 2500
producer members and 12 corporations is Daichi wo Mamoru Kai in Japan - an
unusual hybrid of an NGO and a company. Daichi aims to be both a social movement
and a business. It is profiled in Kokoro, the newsletter of the Japanese development
NGO umbrella, JANIC. JANIC email janic@jca.ax.apc.org or contact Kazuyoshi
Matsukura at Daichi email koha@Daichi.or.jp
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