UK Government makes all the right noises on trade, tax and transparency

“As we free up the world economy, we must make sure openness delivers the benefits it should for rich economies and developing countries alike. That means consistent and fair rules for the global economy. When countries open up to cross-border trade, and global supply chains, they need to know that they will see the benefits in jobs, fair tax revenues and economic growth.

So we need global rules that prevent tax evasion and aggressive avoidance, and enable governments to collect the taxes they are owed. We also need to make sure that mineral wealth in developing countries becomes a blessing, not a curse. It is to the shame of the whole world that a lack of transparency allowed the illicit diamond trade to fuel appalling conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Today, we have a duty to make sure that resource wealth does not fuel conflict, corruption and crime. So at the G-8 next month in Northern Ireland I will push for fairer taxes and greater transparency alongside more open trade.”

Read in full: The UK's G8 agenda - Increasing trade, fairer taxes and greater transparency

Shared from the Justice Matters Facebook Page

Conflict minerals - an update

Back in the Spring, we held a screening of the documentary film Blood in the Mobile. The film set out a pretty bleak picture of the way so called conflict minerals, mined in the DR Congo and taxed by militia groups to buy weapons, are used by technology companies like Nokia to make devices that we all use. One of the lobby groups featured in the documentary was the Enough Project, who have recently published a report on progress towards closing down this shocking supply chain:

"Experts say these "conflict minerals" help fuel one of the world's deadliest conflicts. An estimated 5.4 million people have died there from war-related causes, including disease and malnutrition, since 1998, according to the International Rescue Committee.

But according to a report released Thursday by the Enough Project, an advocacy group, metals from the Congo are getting less bloody.

That's thanks in part to the fact that tech companies like Intel, HP, Dell, Microsoft and Apple have made efforts to trace the source of metals used in their devices. An auditing system for smelters, the industrial facilities that process raw metals, also has been put in place. A certification system is in the works that would allow companies to certify some metals from Congo as "conflict free."

Intel ranked highest on the Enough Project's list with a score of 60, meaning it has taken 60% of the steps recommended by the group to ensure it is responsibly tracking conflict minerals. That's up from a score of 24 in 2010. Apple and Microsoft both scored 38, up from 13 and 15, respectively. Nokia scored 35, up from 19. IBM, Sony, LG and Samsung received scores of 27."  

Read the full article here.

Thanks to Rob for sharing this article. If you have a story or a campaign you think others would be interested in, feel free to email it to us or post in on the Justice Matters Facebook Page.

A simple truth - Tearfund

This is a great two minute animation on corruption in the mining industry and what we can do about it.

Find out more: http://www.tearfund.org/en/get_involved/campaign/unearth/a_simple_truth/

Shared from the Justice Matters Facebook Page

Blood in the Mobile

Free film screening

7:30pm, Wednesday 7th March

St Barnabas Church, Holden Road, Woodside Park

This Fairtrade Fortnight, joins us as we explore the next challenge for ethical consumers - conflict free minerals.

We love our mobiles but the production of phones has a dark, bloody side.

Many of the minerals used to produce mobile  phones come from mines in the Eastern DR Congo. In buying these conflict minerals, the West is financing  a civil war that, according to human rights organisations, has been the bloodiest conflict since the  Second World War.

With footage from inside Congo’s mines and interviews with mobile giant Nokia, Blood in Mobile is a film about conflict, consumerism and collective responsibility. 

As well as the film, there will be Fairtrade nibbles and market stalls with merchandise from ethical and Fairtrade jewellery companies. 

It's going to be a great evening, so we hope you can join us!

For more information

http://tinyurl.com/jmbloodmobile

Screened with permission of Dogwoof Documentary.

February Update

Thanks to those of you who have dragged yourselves out of your warm homes to join us at gatherings already this year. Both our January session on domestic violence and the last week's pub chat on FGM were as uncompromising as they were engaging. You will be able to see a report on these discussions on this blog shortly.

With Fairtrade Fortnight on the horizon (27 Feb - 11 March), our next two sessions will be focused on the issue of trade justice. On the 15th February we will be hearing from Colin about why he is passionate about Fairtrade and how we can all make a difference to the lives of those who produce many of the goods we take for granted. Then we'll be putting that information to good use planning ways to promote trade justice in our work places, families and communities during Fairtrade Fortnight. As ever, come along from 7pm for food and networking before the main session. Let us know if you are coming on the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/236630936419875/

On the 7th March we'll be doing something new and hosting a screening of the provocative documentary film, Blood in the Mobile. As well as the movie, which looks at the murky connection between the minerals that power our modern luxuries and the bloody conflict in DR Congo, there will be Fairtrade nibbles and stalls for ethical jewellery companies. This will be taking place in the Parish Hall at St Barnabas Church on Holden Road, Woodside Park from 7pm. The Facebook page for the event is here: https://www.facebook.com/events/361364947215687/

We're excited about both sessions, so we hope you'll be able to join us.