MRTI reports on recent successes
Committee approves 2006-07 Work Plan
The Mission Responsibility Through Investment (MRTI) committee
met in Chicago, September 6–7, 2006. The meeting was a combination of reporting
on work that has happened in the recent past, and a review and approval of work
for the remainder of 2006 and 2007.
Download the 2006-2007 MRTI Work Plan 
Recent successes that have been achieved by MRTI, and its ecumenical partners,
include dialogues with Best Buy, Circuit City, Target and Wal-Mart to curb the
sale of violent video games. These companies have agreed to alter their displays
so that the rating codes of games are more clearly understood. Further, in an
effort ensure that the buyer meets age restrictions, the companies are training
sales associates to check the buyer's ID.
MRTI, with its partners, will continue working in this area and plans to promote
a "Don't Buy Violent Video Games" message during the 2006 and 2007
holiday seasons. Learn more about violent video games.
MRTI also has been successful, in partnership with the Interfaith Center on
Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), in working with hotel chains, travel agencies
and cruise lines seeking their cooperation to adopt basic principles against
child prostitution and trafficking. MRTI has been asked by ICCR to be the lead
contact with Hilton Hotels and Carnival Cruise Lines to engage them in dialogue
about policies and practices to prevent their properties or services from unknowingly
being involved in this illegal activity.
The two-day meeting had a full agenda that began by welcoming new members
and giving them a general orientation to the work of MRTI. Other business on
the agenda included discussing plans for work assigned to MRTI by the 217th
General Assembly (2006). This conversation, in part, includes work on the environment
as it relates to mountaintop removal mining.
Human rights work was another significant part of the General Assembly assignments.
As a result, the committee spent a significant amount of time discussing its
work in relation to Sudan, and Israel-Palestine. Initial corporate engagements
related to the Sudan will be with Petrochina, ABB, Ltd., Sinopec, Tafnet, Alcatel
and Siemens. Regarding corporate engagement involving Israel and Palestine, MRTI
will continue with the five corporations from 2005:
Caterpillar, Citigroup, ITT
Industries, Motorola and United Technologies.
While no current assignments from the 2006 Assembly were
issued regarding human rights in Colombia, the committee discussed this region
in relation to its ongoing work publicizing human rights concerns at Coca-Cola
bottling plants there. |
