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press release 28 june 2004
london /durban (south africa)
shell's directors promise to visit
fenceline communities
Pictures from outside the Shell AGM
available from Friends of the Earth or
download from:
http://www.idspicturedesk.com/picturedesk/I?k=H231d4738k-67958&u=uqp
Shell directors, under fire for polluting
communities and damaging people's health,
promised to visit some of the affected areas
when challenged by community representatives
at the AGM in London today (Monday).
People from Texas, Louisiana, South Africa
and Nigeria travelled to the meeting with
campaigners from Friends of the Earth to
raise their concerns, publishing an
alternative version of Shell's report for
shareholders [1].
Challenged by Durban community activist
Desmond D'Sa, company chair Lord Oxburgh gave
his personal assurance that he would visit
the Durban refinery and see for himself the
pollution suffered by the community. Shell
stands accused of operating to lower
standards at its Durban refinery, where leaks
and gas flaring are regular occurrences.
Speaking after the meeting, Desmond D'Sa
from the South Durban Community Environmental
Alliance, said:
“Lord Oxburgh told me in the meeting he
would come to Durban. These words must
be turned into action and we must see him on
the fenceline. Then he can see for himself
what is happening there.”
Hilton Kelley, who travelled to the meeting
from Port Arthur, Texas, said:
“I think they realised that there are
problems in Port Arthur and I asked them to
come there and see what is going on and meet
the real people on the ground. At the
moment, I am optimistic that this year, Shell
might take our concerns seriously.”
The company also faced questions from
representatives from the Niger Delta, where
oil spills and gas flares dominate the
landscape.
Patrick Naagbantan from Environmental Rights
Action in Nigeria asked directors at the
meeting what had happened to the $70 million
reportedly spent by Shell on community
development in the Niger Delta. But he
said after the meeting that he was not
satisfied by the answer he was given.
“They gave me a vague response. $70
million is a lot of money. We want to
know where it I gone and why it is not being
spent on making concrete improvements.
We have seen no real benefits on the
ground.”
Friends of the Earth's Head Corporate
Accountability Campaigner Craig Bennett
said:
“Shell is failing these communities and
failing to recognise their concerns. We
want to see concrete action on the ground to
tackle pollution and deal with the problems
they face. Shell has shown it cannot be
trusted to implement the high standards it
talks about. It is time it was forced
to do so.
“Shareholders are rightly concerned by the
financial risks caused by oor environmental
and social performance. It is time Shell and
other ompanies were forced to clean up its
act for the benefit of hareholders,
communities and the environment. The British
Government must nsure that people have legal
rights of redress against British companies
such as Shell who profit from pollution and
damaging communities.”
Friends of the Earth is campaigning for new
corporate accountability legislation in the
UK which would introduce campaigning for
changes to UK company law so that financial
obligations are counterbalanced by social and
environmental concerns. Specifically, the
Government must introduce:
• Mandatory reporting – requiring all UK
companies to report annually on the impact of
their operations, policies, products and
procurement practices on people and the
environment both in > the UK and
abroad
• New legal duties on directors – to take
reasonable steps to reduce any significant
negative social or environmental impacts
• Foreign direct liability – to enable
affected communities abroad to seek redress
in the UK for human rights and environmental
abuses resulting directly from the
operations, policies, products and
procurement practices of UK companies or
their overseas ubsidiaries.
See:
www.corporate-responsibility.org
Notes:
[1] Behind the shine – the other Shell
Report 2003 is available online at:
www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/behind_shine.pdf
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