By Joe Brooks, Project Officer
Last month I turned up to the annual general meeting (AGM) of Associated British Foods, armed with my shares and a well-crafted question, to challenge the board on the impact of its sugary treats on childhood obesity. Despite a growing body of scientific evidence, the company’s response reflected a lack of willingness from the food and drink industry to take the lead in tackling one of the UK’s most urgent health crises.
By Mara Lilley, Senior Campaigns Officer
68 CEOs in the FTSE 100 earn more than 100 times the average UK worker’s salary, while almost four million (1 in 8) workers in the UK are living in poverty. How many of these business leaders have gone into the New Year with a resolution to address this disparity? Though the causes of in-work poverty are complex – with state structures, institutions, the market, an ineffective benefits system, and individual circumstances all playing their part – side by side, these figures are baffling and shine a light on some of the stark economic imbalances in the UK today.
By Clem McCulloch, Communications & Fundraising Officer
There are a few ways organisations such as ourselves raise money: we ask for funding from charitable trusts and philanthropic foundations; seek government funding; or ask individual supporters for their help. Actually, there’s another way – we could also take donations from corporates, but that’s something we’ve chosen not to do in case they want us to compromise on our independence in return.
By Beau O’Sullivan, Communications Manager
You changed the law today. As you read this, policy-makers are etching into stone new regulations that bring us one step closer to a financial system that protects the planet and the people on it.
By Vaidehee Sachdev, Senior Research Manager
Last week, London was host to the Philippines Human Rights Commission and a two-day hearing, following previous sessions in the Philippines and New York. The hearings form part of a ground-breaking inquiry, instigated by a petition submitted in 2015 by Filipino communities and civil society organisations following a series of devastating typhoons. The timing of the hearings was significant, marking the 5th anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan – the most powerful storm to make landfall in history, killing over 6,000 people and displacing over 4 million, destroying homes, livelihoods, and landscapes.
