The annual meeting at Davos, Switzerland organized by the World Economic Forum (WEF) usually brings juicy benefits for transnational corporations, except for a handful that are singled out for a dubious distinction by civil society groups: the Public Eye Awards for irresponsible corporate behavior.
Nominees for the Awards this year include Alcoa, Bayer, Coca Cola, Chevron, Novartis, Walt Disney, Citigroup and Nestlé.
The Awards are aimed at highlighting particularly irresponsible behavior on the part of corporations in the areas of the environment, labor rights, human rights and taxes.
The Award winners are selected from nominees proposed by non-governmental organizations from around the world. The negative Awards are aimed at simultaneously counteracting the influence of the WEF, and to contribute to a debate on the darker zones of globalization that is merely profit-oriented. The goal is to make a point that transnational corporations should be subjected to binding international rules that force them to accept legal responsibility and accountability for their actions, and when it is warranted, punishment.
Two international non-governmental organizations, Pro Natura - Friends of the Earth Switzerland and the Berne Declaration organize the event. Pro Natura, Switzerland's largest environmental group, with some 100,000 members and 45,000 donors, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 1909. For its part, the Berne Declaration, based in the Swiss capital, was founded in 1968 to promote more just, sustainable and democratic North-South relations.
[Gustavo Capdevila, ipsnews.net]
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