The World Forum in Davos hosted the
Public Eye Awards, founded by the Association of the Berne Declaration
and Greenpeace for corporations that were harmful to nature and violated
human rights. This year's winners include oil giant Shell and
investment bank Goldman Sachs. Shell has received the award for the
second time.
It is assumed that the anti-award should
scare potential clients and partners from winners, but what is the real
effect of the "award?"
The Davos forum is not only discussion
platforms and business briefings with politicians. A substantial part of
events takes place outside official activities of the forum - at
dinners, buffets, receptions, etc. It should be noted that not all of
those meetings are as pleasing to their participants as buffets. The
Public Eye Awards is one of such events. Greenpeace and the Association
of the Berne Declaration have been conducting the event since 2000 for
largest transnational corporations, "for most egregious crimes against
nature and human rights."
This year's list of notorious winners is
topped by Shell - for taking part "in most risky, controversial, and
dirty oil projects", especially in the Arctic. Investment bankers from
Goldman Sachs also stand on the pedestal of dubious honor "as a symbol
of all problems in the modern economy." The list of winners has five
other companies. Coal India was included on the list after there were
205 workers killed in its coal mines in 2012. Mining company Lonmin
(South Africa) received the award for calling the police to shoot at
striking workers. Security firm G4S, that had its reputation ruined
during the preparation of the London Olympics, was listed for "numerous
violations of human rights."
Company Repower (Switzerland) was
awarded for its efforts to build a coal power plant in Italy, despite
protests of the local population. Alstom (France) was in the "infamous
list" for charges of "corruption scandals."
As you can see, the list of nominees and
their sins is rather long: environment, corruption, human rights
violations, etc. Such a wide range of crimes is due to professional
interests of the founders of the award. Greenpeace does not need any
introduction, but there are not many people who have heard of the
Association of the Berne Declaration.
Founded in 1968, the organization has
about twenty thousand members. Originally, it was an association of
sociologists, economists and representatives of other social sciences.
For quite a long time, members of the organization were trying to find
ways to ensure more equitable and sustainable relations between the
North and the South, which is a hard nut to crack for Switzerland.
Nowadays, the organization is engaged in international trade and
pharmaceutical industry, global finance, agriculture, and many others
businesses.
The rich diversity and activity
geography became the foundation for the anti-award ceremony to appear in
Davos. The mechanism of the event is quite a democratic one. The
website of the award www.publiceye.ch publishes the names of several
nominees, from which the "winners" are picked. However, the democratic
procedure, raises many questions with casual observers. Thus, it is
unclear on what basis the candidates for the award are selected.
For example, after the oil disaster on
Deepwater Horizon, it was not British Petroleum that appeared on the
infamous list of irresponsible slobs, as one might think. The main enemy
of ecology in 2010 was the Royal Bank of Canada - for financing oil
production from tar sands of Alberta. In 2006, the Walt Disney Company
topped the list of "most heinous corporations" for refusing to reveal
the location of its Chinese counterparts - so that human rights
advocates could not check work conditions at those companies.
Organizers of the award, rather loudly
proclaim their goal of "achieving justice for the victims of
transnational corporations." They use anti-globalization rhetoric.
However, this award ceremony is held annually in Davos, in prestigious
halls, while all the other anti-globalists have to run away from riot
police like rabbits.
Many experts are skeptical about the
statements from the organizers of the Public Eye Award that say that
the award is meant to remind corporations of their social and
environmental responsibilities. Moreover, it is doubtful that it can be a
stain on the reputation that can scare away potential customers and
partners. There is no bad publicity. The income of seven nominees for
the year 2012 totals $43 billion."
Ilya Nikonov
Pravda.Ru
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