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12/03/07
Remarks at the launch of the Coca-Cola India Foundation
Delhi, India
Muhtar Kent, President and Chief Operating Officer, The
Coca-Cola Company
As prepared for delivery
Minister (Sharad) Pawar... Minister (Shiela) Dixit... Secretary
Albright... Dr. (Narayan) Hegde... friends from the media...
distinguished guests and colleagues...
"Namaste"... to all of you.
It's wonderful to be back in India, a place that has inspired
and influenced me ever since I was a child.
Growing up here in a diplomatic family gave me a rich perspective
and appreciation that few people are ever afforded. At a very
young age, I fell in love with India and her rich cultures...
warm people... and breathtaking natural wonders -- all of which
have come to define the extraordinary spirit of this land.
To me, this has always been a nation that caters to the imagination.
A place of endless possibilities.
From an outsider's perspective, the late French philosopher
Romain Rolland probably said it best when he wrote: "If
there is one place on the face of this Earth where all the dreams
of living men have found a home... it is India."
Today, the dream of India is, of course, alive and well.
India's rapid ascension into one of the world's leading economic
powers is changing the face of globalization and all that it
touches.
Just as this great nation's economic fortunes are rising, so
too are we seeing a greater emphasis on protecting her natural
resources and local cultures and traditions.
Quite frankly, this does not come as a surprise.
At Coca-Cola, we've watched the positive forces
of globalization at work for the better part of a century.
The one common denominator we see among the most successful
and prosperous communities we serve is a strong commitment to
sustainability. A commitment shared by business, government
and civil society.
An amazing thing happens when economic, social and environmental
forces work together for the betterment of all. Sustainable
communities spring forth.
In our own experience at Coca-Cola, we've witnessed
it time and again. Our fortunes are directly tied to the health
and prosperity of the communities we serve. At the same time,
the strength of those communities is largely defined by the
character of the businesses that operate in them.
In India, we hear the great national desire to create a sustainable
community for all of your 1.2 billion citizens.
Coca-Cola wants to be part of the solution...
which takes many forms, like jobs, investments and conservation.
We're certainly proud
of the 150,000 jobs we've helped create in India.
We also believe in India's
future. That's why we've invested more than $1 billion dollars
here in the past decade and why we've earmarked another $250
million over the next few years to bring more innovation and
service to this market.
That's why we've led the charge on water stewardship, sustainable
packaging, health, education and disaster relief efforts. And
it's why we're excited about this animated environmental awareness
film you will see in a few minutes.
The very nature of sustainability means building a legacy --
ensuring that our actions today are not putting into jeopardy
the futures of those we leave behind.
Engaging India's future generations on environmental and natural
resource protection is critical to her own sustainability...
and to the sustainability of our entire planet.
India's natural treasures -- from the towering peaks of the
Himalayas to the Thar Desert to the rainforests of Tamil Nadi
and river delta of West
Bengal- are the world's treasures.
Indeed, India today is only one of 12 nations around the world
that has been given a "mega-biodiversity" classification
by the United Nations.
The film you will see today was designed to help ensure that
India's extraordinary natural environment can coexist with and
even be enhanced by -- a growing economy.
I would like to congratulate Dr. Hegde from the BAIF Development
Research Foundation and the entire Coca-Cola India
team for developing such a powerful and unique tool to connect
to India's next generations on these critical environmental
issues.
I would also like to use the opportunity today to announce
the creation of The Coca-Cola Foundation in India.
The Foundation will be supported by initial funding of $10
million dollars and will focus on three critical areas... rural
growth, environmental protection and healthy living. We
believe these three areas of sustainable community building
will be critical to India's future and reflect our desire to
be part of India's future.
To tell you a little bit more about The Coca-Cola
Foundation in India and some of the great people behind it,
it is my privilege now to introduce the chairman of the Foundation,
the former chief justice of India and chairman of the National
Human Rights Commission, The Honorable Justice J. S. Verma.
Justice Verma...
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