News ReleaseTHE COCA-COLA
COMPANY JOINS BUSINESS LEADERS INITIATIVE ON HUMAN RIGHTS ATLANTA,
August 23, 2007 - The
Coca-Cola Company announced today that it has joined the Business
Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR), a group of companies examining how
best to apply human rights principles in the business context. The Company's
support for BLIHR was expressed in a letter sent by E. Neville Isdell, chairman
and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Company, to Mary Robinson,
Honorary Chair of BLIHR. "At The Coca-Cola Company, we
believe that an unwavering commitment to human rights is fundamental to the way
we conduct our business. In our Company's Human
Rights Statement and Workplace
Rights Policy we pledge to manage our business around the world in accordance
with the highest standards of integrity with a specific emphasis on the rights
of individuals in the workplace," said Neville Isdell, Chairman and CEO of
The Coca-Cola Company. "We look forward to building our own
understanding of how best to uphold human rights within our workplaces and to
actively participating in and contributing to BLIHR's important work." The
Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR) was founded in 2003 by seven
companies and is chaired by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Coca-Cola
Company's announcement today brings the total number of members to 14. For more
information on BLIHR, visit the organization's website at http://www.blihr.org. "The
Coca-Cola Company joining BLIHR represents a real opportunity to
demonstrate the universality of human rights across all nations," said Mary
Robinson, Honorary Chair of BLIHR. "We are excited by this and look forward
to the serious work ahead, in particular exploring the business and human rights
context of emerging economies." BLIHR is an international business-led
initiative designed to help lead and develop the corporate response to human rights.
Its primary aim is to find "practical ways of applying the aspirations of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within a business context and to inspire
other businesses to do likewise". The Initiative has reported annually on
its progress towards its publicly stated mission and works closely with many other
businesses, governments and civil society organizations.
*** The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company.
Along with Coca-Cola®, recognized as the world's most valuable
brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five nonalcoholic sparkling
beverage brands, including Diet Coke®, Fanta® and Sprite®, and a wide
range of other beverages, including diet and light beverages, waters, juices and
juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy and sports drinks. Through the world's largest
beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's
beverages at a rate exceeding 1.4 billion servings each day. For more information
about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com. The
Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR) is a business-led program
to help lead and develop the corporate response to human rights. For more information
about BLIHR, visit the organization's website at www.blihr.org.
# # #
|