Just April 14, Coca-Cola released this dismissive and insulting
statement concerning the Olympic controversy.
Which reads in part....
"As the Olympic Movement's longest continuous cor****ate partner...."
"While it would be an inappropriate role for sponsors to comment on the
political situation of individual nations, we firmly believe that the
Olympics
are a force for good."
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/viewpoints_olympic_movement.html
Only four days later the CEO of Coca-Cola releases the following
statement.
Perhaps the most interesting sentence is this.....
"We would ask those groups and individuals to find a way to use the
openness
of the Olympics in a positive way, rather than to attack and undermine one
of the world's last remaining unifying events."
Seems to me the world is quite unified concerning these Olympics.
Helping legitimize the largest Communist Dictator****p in history is
....immoral, and flows only from their cor****ate greed.
Full Statement
Attacking the Olympics Won't Help Darfur
By Neville Isdell, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola
Company
Published in the Financial Times, April 18, 2008
Over the past few weeks, there have been calls on sponsors of the summer
Olympic Games in Beijing to step up public pressure on China to help end
the tragic humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
One group has issued a "re****t card," which claimed that Coca-Cola and
other Olympic partners had been "silent" on Darfur. Their approach is
flawed.
It judges concern by one narrow measure -- the degree to which one pushes
a
sovereign government in public -- while ignoring what we and others are
doing
every day to help ease the suffering in Darfur.
Let me be clear. We have been actively engaged in Darfur for two years.
We have been a proud Olympic partner for the past 80 years. We sup****t
the athletes and the global unity the Olympics celebrates.
As a business, we recognize that our role is im****tant, but it is also
inherently and appropriately limited. We are neither a government nor the
United Nations, but we can and must be a catalyst for change through
actions
that are appropriate for a business to take.
To help in Darfur, we are focusing our resources where we believe they can
make the greatest difference in saving lives and reducing suffering.
Rather than make public statements, we have chosen a more direct and, in
our view, more effective route to help address the staggering human
suffering
in Darfur.
Our approach encomp*****: immediate relief to those on the ground;
investments
to address water, one of the conflict's underlying causes; and efforts to
bring
local and international stakeholders together to develop long-term
solutions.
More than a year before a group first criticized the sponsors in public,
Coca-Cola was working with non-profit partners, including the
International
Committee of the Red Cross, to sup****t work in Darfur that has saved
lives.
Our sup****t helps deliver relief supplies and provides healthcare services
in
field hospitals and mobile clinics. While these im****tant steps address
the
consequences of the conflict, we have also been working on one of its root
causes. Having lived in Africa for 26 years, I have seen the crises and
conflicts caused by water scarcity.
While the lack of clean water in Sudan and its role in starting this
conflict
has been often overlooked by the international community, it has been the
focus of much of our funding.
The Coca-Cola Company has committed at least $5 million to programs that
address water needs in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan. This is targeted at
providing new sources of clean water to those displaced by the fighting
and on
building water and sanitation projects that allow people to return to
their
homes.
We believe these actions are more effective than public statements because
they
improve lives on the ground and address one of the underlying causes of
the
conflict.
In addition, we are working with others in the search for longer-term,
socio-political solutions. Through the UN Global Compact, the UN
Development
Programme and the International Business Leaders Forum in London, we are
working to bring stakeholders together to focus on business's role in
building
sustainable communities in Sudan.
We hope that by convening forums with Sudanese businesses and government
entities, international and Sudanese non-governmental organizations,
academics
and UN agencies we can help advance peace and development efforts.
As the longest continuous Olympic partner, we believe in the purposes and
objectives of the games: a venue intended to be free of conflict, a forum
for
non-political engagement, fair play and celebrating the greatest in
individual
s****ting achievement.
We understand the power of the games. We understand the concept of the
"Olympic truce," which allows nations with disparate points of view to
come
together in free and open s****ting competition. We also understand that
the
games offer a global stage that is attractive to those who want to use it
for
their own issues.
We would ask those groups and individuals to find a way to use the
openness
of the Olympics in a positive way, rather than to attack and undermine one
of the world's last remaining unifying events.
For the complicated situation in Sudan to be resolved, every element of
society
must play its part. Criticism of Olympic sponsors from well-intentioned
people
will not stop the violence in Darfur.
We encourage concerned people to join us in sup****ting the NGOs that are
providing critical assistance to those in need and working with others to
build
more sustainable communities in Sudan.
http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/viewpoints_isdell_darfur.html
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