خطوة مهمة في تضييق الخناق على شركة النفط الصينية الداعمة للإبادة في السودان صوتت ستة صناديق تمويل مشتركة في إجتماع مساهمي شركة (فيدليتي) Fidelity لصالح مشروع القرار بتجنب الإستثمارات في الشركات التي (تساهم بصورة أساسية في الإبادة) ،بنسب تتراوح مابين (24،13%) الى (29،19%) ، أمس 18يونيو . وتعتبر فيدلتي من أهم ملاك الأسهم في شركة (بترول الصين) Petro chinaالمستثمرة في نفط السودان . وقدرت تسريبات أسهم الشركة الأمريكية في شركة النفط الصينية المستثمرة في السودان بحوالي (1.3) مليار دولار ، وذلك عبر سوق الأسهم في هونغ كونغ . ونتيجة لتصويت الأمس بلغ عدد الصناديق في شركة فيدلتي التي صوتت لصالح (إستثمار خالي من الإبادة) Genocide free Investment بلغ (40) صندوقاً Fund. وأصدرت منظمة (مستثمرين ضد الإبادة) بياناً أمس ، أوردت فيه تفاصيل التصويت . وقال رئيس المنظمة أريك كوهين الذي قدم مشروع القرار لمجلس مساهمي فيدلتي ( تستمر فيدلتي في إمتلاك أسهم كبيرة في شركة بترول الصين (بتروجاينا) ، الشركة التي يُعرف على نطاق واسع انها من أكبر الشركاء التجاريين لحكومة السودان التي تقوم حالياً بقصف وتجويع وتشريد مجموعات واسعة من سكانها المدنيين في عدة أقاليم ، ورئيسها مطلوب من المحكمة الجنائية الدولية بسبب الإبادة والجرائم ضد الإنسانية وجرائم الحرب…) وأضاف ان فيدلتي ( لا تزال ترفض الإستثمار الخالي من الإبادة) ولذا فان المساهمين بإستثماراتها لا يزالون يرتبطون بصورة غير مباشرة بالشركات التي تدعم الفظائع في السودان ، وقال ان (30) ولاية أمريكية و(61) كلية إنتخابية سبق وإتخذوا خطوات لتجنب إستثمارات الإبادة ، فلماذا لا تستطيع فيدلتي ذلك ؟ وسبق وإتخذت شركة ( ت. رويس برايس ) و(تيا كريف) خطوات قوية ضد المساهمة في إستثمارات الإبادة . ويعتبر تصويت الأمس وان لم يكن حاسماً بعد خطوة في تضييق الخناق على الشركات التي تدعم الإبادة في السودان. (نص بيان مستثمرين ضد الإبادة بالانجليزية أدناه) : Millions of Fidelity Customers Continue to Vote in Support of Genocide-free Investing June 18th, 2013 Although “repulsed” by genocide, after 5 years of votes Fidelity still invests in companies tied to genocide Boston, MA – June 18, 2013 – Today, six mutual funds recorded votes at Fidelity’s shareholder meeting on a proposal to avoid investments in companies that “substantially contribute to genocide.” These funds bring to 40 the number of Fidelity funds that have had “genocide-free investing” on their proxy ballot. Today’s preliminary voting results in favor of the proposal ranged from a high of 29.19% to a low of 24.13%. Results of the voting today were comparable to results on similar genocide-free investing proposals at Fidelity in 2008 and 2009. These results for proxy voting on a social issue represent strong support sustained over multiple years and many funds. (See the details at the end of this release for information on how the voting is heavily skewed by a range of factors that favor the recommendations of company management.) “Fidelity continues to own large positions in PetroChina, a company widely recognized as the largest business partner of the government of Sudan which is currently bombing, starving, and displacing massive numbers of its own civilians in several regions, and whose president is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes,” says Eric Cohen, Chairperson of Investors Against Genocide. “This year marks ten years of the genocide in Darfur, and it is the fifth year that Fidelity has opposed genocide-free investing. As a result, people investing with Fidelity are still inadvertently linked to companies tied to the atrocities in Sudan.” Ongoing government-sponsored genocide and mass-atrocities in Darfur and other regions of Sudan has spanned more than two decades and resulted in the death of over 2.5 million innocent civilians. “Millions of Fidelity customers have voted for genocide-free investing in 2008, in 2009 and now in 2013,” Cohen, who presented the proposal at the shareholder meeting. “Fidelity says it is ‘repulsed’ by genocide, and it claims that it maintains these investments to ‘retain the ability to oppose practices it does not condone.’ Yet Fidelity has not disclosed or demonstrated that it has engaged with PetroChina or had any impact from that engagement since this issue was brought to their attention more than siz years ago. Fidelity continues to insist on retaining its flexibility to invest in companies that fund genocide and disregard the voice of its customers who do not want their savings connected to genocide.” Fidelity’s website states, “We are sensitive to the ongoing tragedy occurring in Darfur and, like most others in the world, we are repulsed by genocide and all other crimes against humanity. … That said, we have concluded that when it is appropriate to remain actively invested in a company, we will do so, thus retaining the ability to oppose company practices that we do not condone.” “The vast majority of Americans want their investments to be genocide-free, ” says Cohen. According to a market research study conducted by KRC Research in 2010, 88% of Americans would like their mutual funds to be genocide-free. Similarly, shareholders approved the genocide-free investing proposal last year at the ING Emerging Countries Fund by a wide margin, with 59.8% voting in favor and only 10.7% opposed. “By refusing to avoid the very small number of companies that help support the genocide in Sudan, Fidelity is out of touch with the American people,” says Cohen. “If T. Rowe Price, TIAA-CREF, American Funds, 30 states, and 61 colleges can all take steps to avoid investments tied to genocide, why can’t Fidelity?” The preliminary voting results for the six funds announced at the shareholder meeting were 27.46% voting in favor at Biotechnology Portfolio, 28.13% at Chemicals Portfolio, 29.19% at Computers Portfolio, 28.31% at Health Care Portfolio, 24.22% at Real Estate Investment Portfolio, and 24.13% at Telecom and Utilities. In 2009, Independent Trustee Albert Gamper acknowledged that the Fidelity Board of Trustees is “passing the buck to elected officials” to determine if investing in companies that help to fund genocide should be avoided by American mutual fund companies. In explaining the Board’s decision to oppose the proposal, Gamper stated that the issue is “very complex” and “difficult for the Board.” Although federal law prevents U.S. oil companies (and most other U.S. companies) from operating in Sudan, Fidelity and other American financial institutions are major investors in the foreign oil companies involved in Sudan that are helping to fund that government’s continued genocide and crimes against humanity. As a result, ordinary investors, through their mutual funds, family savings, and pension plans entrusted to these financial institutions, are inadvertently investing in genocide. Investors Against Genocide (IAG), the Boston-based non-profit organization coordinating the anti-genocide shareholder action at Fidelity and other financial institutions, including Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase, and Franklin Resources, is engaged in an effort to encourage legislation and regulatory changes to address investments in companies that help to fund genocide. “Since the Fidelity Trustees feel that this moral issue is beyond their purview,” said Cohen, “we hope that Fidelity will join us in seeking help from our elected officials in resolving this problem for millions of concerned American investors.” A US SIF report, “2012 Report on Sustainable and Responsible Investing Trends in the United States,” supports the importance of Sudan-related investment policies as a key shareholder concern. Most strikingly, the report found that Sudan is the top ESG consideration for institutional investors. At the May 2012 vote at JPMorgan Chase, institutional supporters of the genocide-free investing proposal included T. Rowe Price, CalPERS, CalSTRS, Connecticut State Pension, Florida State Board of Administration, New York State Common Retirement Fund, NYCERS, Ohio State Teachers Retirement System, AFSCME, Christian Brothers Investment Services, and many others. The genocide-free investing shareholder proposal at the Fidelity funds says “Shareholders request that the Board institute transparent procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in management’s judgment, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious violations of human rights.” Fidelity’s refusal to implement a policy to avoid investments tied to genocide stands in stark contrast to the published policy of T. Rowe Price and the public statements by TIAA-CREF to take strong action against problem companies. Investors Against Genocide withdrew its shareholder proposal at TIAA-CREF when it adopted a public policy against investments tied to genocide. TIAA-CREF subsequently divested holdings in oil companies that are helping to support the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. American Funds divested its holdings in PetroChina following a well-publicized shareholder vote on genocide-free investing there. **Note on proxy voting: Several factors should be considered in analyzing the numeric results of votes at this shareholder meeting. Fidelity mutual funds do not hold shareholder meetings on an annual basis, unlike public corporations. Instead, years go by without a meeting for a given fund. As a result, Fidelity’s mutual fund customers are not accustomed to voting their proxies. Further, except for genocide-free investing, there have not been any shareholder proposals on Fidelity’s ballot, so customers are not accustomed to seeing proposals opposed by management. Shareholders frequently do not vote at all assuming that the ballot questions are simply procedural or of no interest to them. Those shareholders that do vote frequently check off the box that indicates that they vote according to all management recommendations without reading each question. Since Fidelity opposed Questions 3, rather than remaining neutral, customers who voted with management register an “AGAINST” vote even if they did read the entire ballot. Lastly, large numbers of institutional shareholders vote with management and broker non-votes and abstentions at Fidelity are counted as if they were votes against the proposal. #### Investors Against Genocide is a citizen-led initiative, dedicated to convincing mutual funds and other investment firms to make an ongoing commitment to genocide-free investing. Investors Against Genocide works with individuals, financial firms, pension and endowment managers and government officials to encourage investment firms to change their investing strategy to avoid investments in companies that substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity. Investors Against Genocide is staffed by volunteers and is a project of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, incorporated in the state of Massachusetts. For more information, visitinvestorsagainstgenocide.org
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:44:15 +0000
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