LATER this month governments from around the world will be meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, at an international conference to discuss the action needed to protect our environment and address the needs of the world's poor.
Governments will have to consider the role of multinational companies in promoting or preventing sustainable development.
Many multinational companies are now huge and powerful and have a major impact on the natural environment and poor people.
Unfortunately, not all companies act responsibly. For example Esso has lobbied governments not to support the Kyoto Treaty (the agreement to take action on climate change).
Barclays have helped to finance APP, a company felling rainforests in Indonesia, and Rio Tinto (a major mining company) has caused pollution and human rights problems world-wide
When Tony Blair challenged Britain's top 350 companies to voluntarily agree to produce an annual environmental report only a quarter of them did so.
Friends Of The Earth believes that, for the sake of the planet, multi-national companies need to act responsibly and is calling for governments to support an international treaty on corporate accountability.
The treaty would force companies to take account of social and environmental matters in their decision making.
It would guarantee citizens rights of redress for damage caused by companies and would establish uniformly high standards of social, environmental, labour and human rights behaviour by companies.
Josie Downs,
York & Ryedale Friends Of The Earth,
Peasey Hills Road,
Updated: 10:35 Tuesday, August 20, 2002
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