The groundWork Corporate Accountability Week

Tuesday 20 – Friday 23 August

“Peoples’ Action for Corporate Accountability”

Date, Time /

Event

Tuesday, 20

09:00-09:30 hrs
09:30-10:30 hrs / Corporate Accountability – Why?
Opening Address
Richard Meeran (Thor and Cape Asbestos Legal Case)
·  Corporate Accountability: Why civil society needs accountability in an ever-corporate dominated world.
Strategies to develop hold corporates accountable
·  Ka Hsaw Wa: Earth Rights International – Documentation and information
·  Amit Srivastava: CorpWatch India – Climate Justice and Corporate Accountability
·  Bobby Peek: groundWork’s Corporate Accountability in South Africa
·  Barbara Lott Holland: Bus Riders Union – Holding local governments accountable

10:30-11:00 hrs

/ Tea

11:00-12:00 hrs

/ Corporate accountability and international conventions and institutions
·  Craig Bennett: Friends of the Earth – Corporate Accountability Convention
·  Marcelo Futardo: Greenpeace - Bhopal Principles
·  Kenny Bruno: CorpWatch - A corporate free United Nation
·  Yin Shao Loong: Third World Network – Business Against Sustainable Development
·  Helena Ward: IIED, Foreign Direct Liability

12:30-13:30 hrs

/
Lunch
13:30-13:45 hrs
13:45-14:45 hrs
14:45-15:30 hrs / The abuse by Multi National Corporations! Experiences from the ground
This session will give participants an understanding of the community struggles that are being waged against corporate abuse and government inaction
Opening statements
Farid Esack (groundWork Trustee and social justice and gender activist)
·  Stand up and be counted: Why civil society needs to mobilise!
The oil refinery struggles in South Africa: An apartheid legacy reinforced!
Community people from neighbourhoods in SA that have companies such as Shell, BP, Petronas, Total, Sasol and Chevron operating in their neighbourhoods, will be presenting their campaign struggles. The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), Sasolburg Environmental Committee (SEC), Table View Residents Association (TVRA) and the Highveld East Community Environmental Monitoring Association (HECEMA)
Communities challenging Shell
This panel will discuss how different community activist are challenging Shell activities around the globe, from the oil exploration, production to distribution. Isaac Osuoko of Earth Rights Action, Margie Richards of Concerned Citizens of Norco, and Marietta Liefferink, Bryanston Ratepayers Association.
15:30-16:00 hrs / Tea
16:00-17:15 hrs / Corporate accountability in the mining sector: Community experiences from Southern Africa
Community, civil society and labour activist will speak of their experiences in the mining sector in Southern Africa and how they impact on communities with respect to poor management, and community and worker abuse. Mathews Hlabane from the Environmental Monitoring Group, Glen Mpufane National Union of Mineworkers, Andrew Dire, ex worker at Vametco a Vanadium mine, Troy Prince, campaigner around the asbestos poisoning in the Northern Cape, and Samuel Payne of Yonge Nawe, who will be focusing on the Multi National Koch which used to operate in Swaziland.
17:15-17:45 hrs / Anglo American: Linking copper mining struggles between Peru and Zambia
In 2002, Anglo American decided unilaterally to withdraw from its operations in Zambia, thereby withdrawing the support system of many in the local community. At the same time Anglo American is seeking to establish a copper mine in Peru, where environmental standards for mining is poor, and the potential consequences on local livelihoods are great. Emily Sakazwe organising with communities impacted upon by the Anglo withdrawal in Zambia and Carlos Abanto Kcomt of Asociacion Civil Labor, of Peru will be sharing this panel discussing the challenges facing these communities.
20:00 hrs / Rising Tide: Video Presentation on Climate Justice
Iscor: Video on Activism against Iscor a Steel Refinery 80 kms South of Johannesburg
Wednesday, 21
09:00-09:45hrs / The transfer of Dirty Technology to the South: Incineration case studies
This panel will discuss the various challenges facing communities in South Africa and Mozambique, as multi-nationals and local corporates attempt to encourage governments to accept incineration as a viable technology. Nicholas Kasa, Sasolburg Environmental Committee, will discuss an American funded proposal to place a hazardous waste incinerator in Sasolburg South Africa, Mauricio Silula of Livaningo will discuss the proposal by the Mozambican and the Danish government to set up a hazardous waste incinerator in Mozambique, and Llewellyn Leonard of groundWork, presents groundWork’s campaign against a medical waste incinerator in Ixopo.
09:45-10:45 hrs
/ Waste sites and the challenges in South Africa
Waste landfill sites have been historically placed next to communities of colour. This panel discussed the challenges facing community activist around hazardous waste. Sajida Khan, from the Clare Estate Community, has been campaigning against Durban Solid Waste to close down a waste site that has accepted hazardous waste in her community, H.B Singh from the Chatsworth Civil Associations discusses the challenges they face against a hazardous waste dump in their community owned by the French Multinational Sita, Stevan van Wyck, discusses how the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance challenged an Ango- American subsidiary to shut down a hazardous coal ash landfill site in South Durban and Collete Caine, discusses the challenges facing a local South African community with regards to waste pollution caused by dumping by local steel industry Iscor.
10:45-11:00 hrs
/ Tea
11:15-12:15 hrs
/ Genetic Engineering
Genetic engineering has escalated a rate considered to surpass any other new technology ever embraced by the agricultural industry. Almost 53 million hectares of GE crops are now grown worldwide, equal to an area almost twice the size of the United Kingdom. Elfrieda Pschorn-Strauss of Bio-watch and Peter Komane of Ecohope will be presenting the challenges facing the South Africa with regard to genetic engineering.
12:15-13:30 hrs /
Lunch
13:30–15:00 hrs /

Campaigns for corporate accountability

Civil society organisations will present campaigns on how various sectors have mobilised to hold corporates accountable via lobbying governments and international institutions, advocacy and civil society organising, and community based environmental monitoring.
Greenpeace: The Bhopal Principles – Lessons for corporate accountability
Greenpeace is asking governments to take up the Bhopal Principles on Corporate Accountability and Liability, a comprehensive set of principles to ensure that corporations protect human rights, food sovereignty and promote clean and sustainable development.
The principles refer directly to the world's worst chemical disaster, in Bhopal in 1984. In this session the reasons for developing these principles will be discussed with an image display of the aftermath of Bhopal.
15:00-15:30 hrs /

Tea

15:30-17:00 hrs /

The Strategy Centre: Organising as a tool for accountability

The Strategy Center is a multiracial "think tank/act tank" in Los Angeles, building a regional base in a mega-city of 10 million people, and from there building national and international alliances. Together with the Bus Riders Union, the centre has challenged the Los Angeles Local Authority to reform the transport system in LA. This session will focus on organising training and actual front line campaigns, and experiences of local civil society organisations interacting within the United Nations system.
17:00-18:30 hrs /

The Global Community Monitor: Community based monitoring of industrial pollution

The GCM has together with organisations in Southern Africa and the United States of America worked on holding industry accountable to the pollution they cause. The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) and the Danish Nature Foundation (DN) have worked on community based GIS modelling of pollution in the South Durban area. Together with community representatives from Swaziland, Mozambique and the USA, and various neighbourhoods in South Africa this session explore the strengths of community based monitoring and some of the outcomes.

20:00–21:00 hrs /

“Dying to Breathe”: A work in progress video documentary of pollution in South Africa, focusing on South Durban, where the Shell/BP and Engen oil refineries are located. This documentary also focuses on community mobilising in South Africa to hold MNC’s and government accountable to the state of lawlessness in South Africa with regard to air pollution legislation.

Thursday, 22
08:30-10:00 hrs / CorpWatch: Climate Justice and holding multi-nationals accountable for climate change

CorpWatch has been instrumental in developing with various international organisations the Principles of Climate Justice. Principles that local people could use in their campaigning and lobbying for improved development to halt the effects of climate change. This session will workshop the principles and work on tools to ensure community activist can use the principles in challenging corporate and government institutions.

10:00-10:30 hrs / Tea
10:30-12:00 hrs / Third World Network: Getting Mitsubishi out of Malaysia
Mitsubishi is presently investing in the Sasol chemical industry in South Africa. Third World Network and local civil society organisations in Malaysia challenged Mitsubishi practices in the 90’s resulting in the company withdrawing from operations in Malaysia. This case study will be presented to local community campaigners as an example of how to hold MNC accountable and how campaigns fit into the international context. A slide presentation on the campaign in Malaysia will be presented.
12:00-13:30 hrs / Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa: Publish what you pay
The Open Society Initiative of Southern Africa is part of the “Publish what you pay” campaign, which was recently launched by George Soros and a group of more than 50 NGOs from around the world. It is a campaign to require oil, gas, and mining companies to disclose net taxes, fees and other payments made for the products of the countries in which they operate. Tawanda Mutasah of the Open Society Initiative Southern Africa will lead this debate with community participants who have been impacted upon by the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme.
15:00–17:30 hrs
18:00-20:00 hrs /

Goldman Prize Recipients Gathering

(Closed session)
“Struggles of people's movements to protect and manage earth resources for enhanced livelihoods for present and future generations!”
Press conference and cocktail evening gathering (open session)
Addresses by Owens Wiwa, brother of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and Goldman Recipients
·  Goldman Recipient statement on the challenge of globalisation and corporate abuse
·  Goldman Recipient stories from the ground – a call to action!

Friday, 23

09:00–12:30 hrs /
“Peoples’ Action for Corporate Accountability”
Three-pager collective position on corporate accountability is discussed and endorsed by conference participants. This statement seeks to bring together the various positions on Corporate Accountability to develop a common ground amongst civil society seeking build a global movement towards holding industry and government accountable.
Closing statements Ricardo Navarro (Chair of Friends of the Earth and community activist)
·  Why people’s experiences need to lead the struggle for corporate accountability.
17:00–20:00 hrs / “Corporate accountability Greenwash Awards” – visit www.earthsummit.biz
Press Conference
An award presentation to those corporates that have the best greenwash alongside their human and environmental rights abuse.

Included in this week, is a series of publication launches, including:

1.  The groundWork Report 2002: Corporate Accountability in South Africa.

2.  A series of five publications focusing on “South Africa people and their environments in the global economy”

3.  EarthSummit.biz – Corpwtach releases a book on corporate abuse and the United Nations.