What this is all about: Corporate accountability here and now!
The Public Eye Awards mark a critical counterpoint to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Organized since 2000 by Berne Declaration and Friends of the Earth (in 2009 replaced by Greenpeace), Public Eye reminds the corporate world that social and environmental misdeeds have consequences - for the affected people and territory, but also for the reputation of the offender.
Whether exploitative working conditions, environmental sins, intentional disinformation, or other disregards of corporate social responsibility: At the forefront of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in late January, the most evil offenses appear on the shortlist of the Public Eye Awards 2012. And those firms placed in the pillory will feel the heat: Our renowned naming&shaming awards shine an international spotlight on corporate scandals and thereby help focused NGO campaigns succeed. This year's categories are the GLOBAL award (chosen by an internal panel of experts) and the PEOPLE'S award (chosen by YOU and thousands of other online activists).
What we want: Justice for corporate victims
The deregulation of world markets has greatly expanded the range of transnational corporations. This change has come about at such a rapid pace that national laws have long lost their ability to impose an orderly framework. The voluntary restraint or social/environmental commitment pledged by companies is often not worth the glossy paper it is printed on. Patents that price life-saving drugs out of reach of poor populations, natural resources exploited without regard for the local environment, or workers exploited ruthlessly in a race to the bottom, you name it – there is nothing that the global players assembled in Davos will not do to improve their bottom line. It is more important than ever to remind corporations of their social and environmental responsibility. We want a legal framework that will hold them accountable for their practices.
The procedure:
1. Steps
Every year in August, Berne Declaration and Greenpeace Switzerland send out a worldwide call for the nomination of corporations with a dismal record in terms of social/environmental responsibility. After a careful assessment of each proposal candidates are submitted to an in-house jury of experts. These experts select the six most relevant and deplorable cases. In Mid-October we contact the people who nominated the shortlisted candidates and jointly compile a detailed case study. In Mid-November, based on these documents, the jury selects the winners. In January 2012, the six shortlisted cases are published in press releases and on this website - the voting begins. End of January 2012 the winners will be presented their shameful awards in an international media conference in Davos. The organizations who nominated the winners will present their cases at that media conference in Davos.
2. Key Criteria
The most important criteria in evaluating a nomination are the following:
- The cogency and substance of the allegations and the credibility of the nominating organization/person
- Scope, relevance, and topicality of the alleged bad practices
- Media attractiveness in terms of surprise element, celebrity factor, potential for scandal, geographical proximity.
3. Jury
Our expert jury consists of four members, two from Greenpeace and Berne Declaration each. The jury meets twice. First to create the shortlist and then to pick the winner of the global award.