Demanding responsibility to BBVA and Santander
11-03-2008
SETEM launches its campaign ¨Demand responsibility to BBVA and Santander¨, with the help of the international network, BankTrack, formed by 27 organizations including SETEM. SETEM´s aim is to denounce the lack of application of BBVA and Santander´s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies. These banks are financing projects in the delicate Amazon regions of Peru and Brazil, damaging its environment and threatening the existence of 182.400 people, whose majority are indigenous people.
By collecting signatures in both postcard format as well as online in
Spanish and English, SETEM offers the concerned public and especially
the clients of these two banks, the possibility to send postcards,
expressing their concern and demanding them to stop financing those
projects.
BBVA has endorsed various voluntary initiatives of Corporate Social
Responsibility, among these, the Equator Principles, the environmental
policy of the BBVA and the Global Compact promoted by United Nations.
In addition, they have firmed the UNEP-FI (United Nations Environmental
Program for Financial Institutions). Nevertheless, it finances
Tecpetrol, one of the companies involved in the expansion of Camisea
project, located in the Cuenca del Bajo Urubamba (Peru). Since 2004,
this project has received strong criticism for destroying indigenous
communities and not complying with the national and international Human
Rights norms. These facts will be denounced by SETEM in the bank’s
upcoming shareholders meeting, next 14th of March 2008 in Bilbao.
Santander has signed also various voluntary initiatives of Corporate
Social Responsibility, among them, the Global Compact and the UNEP-FI.
Nevertheless it is the intermediary bank and lead arranger of the
consortium of the Río Madeira project (Brazil) which plans to construct
two hydroelectric dams which will harm the local communities as well as
the future of the Amazon. The illegal deforestation has already
intensified in the region and if this project is developed, 5.000
families will be obliged to leave their land without foreseeing their
relocation and/or compensation. Moreover, the drinking water in Porto
Velho will be affected and the ecosystem as well as the traditional way
of life will be in danger.
The research conducted by SETEM in partnership with SOMO has linked
BBVA with 11 other controversial projects and, in the case of
Santander, with 9 projects of similar and questionable nature.
To place your signature go to the Banktrack website
download the reports:
Banco Santander
BBVA
