No Business with Governments Complicit in Genocide - Burma

Resolution Text

WHEREAS: Western Union uses the Myawaddy Bank as one of its agents in Burma. Myawaddy Bank is a subsidiary of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL), a Burmese military-owned business conglomerate.

On September 18th, 2019, the United Nations-mandated Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar released its final report documenting the Burmese military’s systematic human rights abuses. The Mission concluded that many of these violations amounted to crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, rape, and enslavement. The violations were principally committed by the Myanmar security forces, particularly the military, or Tatmadaw.

The Mission has urged the international community to "sever ties with Myanmar's military and the vast web of companies it controls and relies on" as "any foreign business activity involving the Tatmadaw and its conglomerates MEHL and MEC poses a high risk of contributing to, or being linked to, violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. At a minimum, these foreign companies are contributing to supporting the Tatmadaw's financial capacity."

Since the publication of the Mission’s reports, the business community has come under increasing scrutiny and pressure over any partnerships with Burmese military-owned and military-controlled companies. Western Union has been the target of a growing campaign that juxtaposes CEO Hikmet Ersek’s public advocacy for migrants and refugees with the fact that the company’s business partner, the Burmese military, is responsible, through its attacks on Rohingya communities, for creating one of the world’s largest refugee populations.

The U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights state that business enterprises have a responsibility to respect human rights by avoiding causing or contributing to human rights abuses through their own activities, and seek to prevent abuses that are directly linked to their operations by their business relationships.  

The International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (ICRtoP) monitors countries worldwide for instances of serious crimes under international law including genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. ICRtoP lists several countries cited by the United Nations and civil society organizations in which Western Union is currently doing business: Burma (Myanmar), Philippines, Sudan, and Nigeria. 

BE IT RESOLVED: The shareholders request the Board publish a report six months following the 2020 annual general meeting, omitting proprietary information and prepared at reasonable cost, evaluating the feasibility of adopting a policy of not doing business with governments or military forces that are complicit in genocide, and/or crimes against humanity, and/or mass atrocities as defined by the U.S. Department of State or the appropriate international body.  

Supporting Statement: As shareholders, we are concerned about the risk to Western Union’s reputation, business, and shareholder value from its partnership with Myawaddy Bank, a company owned by the military of Burma (Myanmar). 

We urge Western Union to end its partnership with Myawaddy Bank. We further urge Western Union to adopt a policy of not doing business with any Burmese military-owned or military-controlled companies and conduct the necessary due diligence to avoid any such business relationships in future.

 

Lead Filer

Kate Monahan
Friends Fiduciary Corporation