Environmental, human rights, labor, religious groups issue challenge to corporate leaders at World Economic Forum
New York, January 29, 2002 – As the World Economic Forum (WEF) meets in New York City, major national and international organizations will challenge corporate leaders meeting at the WEF to support efforts to hold corporations accountable for their actions internationally.
The groups include Friends of the Earth International, Oxfam America, Amnesty International USA, Berne Declaration, and Public Citizen.
In what is probably the biggest direct challenge ever made to the corporate sector, Friends of the Earth will deliver letters to the 1200 corporate executives in the WEF meeting challenging them to support binding global rules for corporations.
What:
Press conference (and photo opportunity before).
When:
Press conference – Thursday, January 31 AT 10:30 A.M.
Where:
YWCA of the City of New York (YWCA-NYC), 53th & Lexington Avenue in Midtown Manhattan 3 Blocks North of the Waldorf-Astoria (610 Lexington Avenue – Hitchcock/Rockefeller Auditorium).
Who:
Tony Juniper, Vice-Chair, Friends of the Earth International
Brent Blackwelder, President, Friends of the Earth (United States)
Barbara Fiorito, Chair of the Board, Oxfam America
Curt Goering, Senior Deputy Executive Director, Amnesty International USA
Matthias Herfeldt, Public Eye on Davos Coordinator, Berne Declaration, Switzerland
Mike Dolan, Deputy Director, Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch
and others
Photo opportunity:
Let’s play The Weakest Link! Special Edition with Corporations! at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Waldorf-Astoria (We will be on the northern side of the security cordon, if Park Avenue is closed. We will proceed from there to the press conference.)
10 Anne Robinsons dressed in black, some carrying whips, will be outside the Waldorf Astoria to meet and greet corporate executives as they arrive at the World Economic Forum. The Annes will say to executives at the WEF *You are the Weakest Link* and tell them that the strongest link would be global rules to control corporations.
INFORMATION FOR THE MEDIA:
Mark Helm, Phone (202) 783-7400 Ext. 102, Cell: (202) 270-3650, mwhelm[at]foe.org
Carol Welch, Cell: (202) 491-3197, cwelch[at]foe.org
David Waskow, Cell: (202) 258-1348, dwaskow[at]foe.org
Colleen Freeman, Cell: (202) 422-3588, cfreeman[at]foe.org
