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CAFOD welcomes the launch of flagship projects by the private sector as part of the government’s Business Call to Action to meet the MDGs
CAFOD welcomes a new call to action for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but says significant action will be needed by governments, businesses and other actors if the 2015 target is to be met.
May 6 marked the launch of flagship projects by the private sector as part of the UK government’s Business Call to Action to meet the MDGs.
As powerful lobbyists and investors, transnational companies have a huge influence on the lives of people in the developing world
Companies such as Anglo American, Wal-Mart, Vodafone, Microsoft, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs are supporting this initiative.
An important part of the Business Call to Action is carefully evaluating how these companies use the considerable skills and resources at their disposal to impact on poverty and build capacity of local enterprises.
Looking beyond individual projects, CAFOD believes this is the right time to ask how companies can ensure that their core business operations support and do not undermine poverty reduction.
There are actions that global businesses can take now which could have a significant impact on achieving the MDGs.
These include:
CAFOD believes the UK government should match high-profile voluntary initiatives with changes to UK law to ensure that "laggard" companies do not undermine human rights, environmental protection and poverty reduction goals.
Anne Lindsay, CAFOD’s private sector policy analyst, comments: “As powerful lobbyists and investors, transnational companies have a huge influence on the lives of people in the developing world.
"We will be looking with interest to see the impact of the initiatives. In addition, we would like to highlight steps which all companies can take around core labour rights, tax payments and transparency which would support the MDGs in very practical ways.
"The government should complement voluntary approaches with legislation which would lead to greater and global accountability for all companies.”
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