Social Accountability International's Newsletter - January 2013

SAI Releases 2011 Annual Report
The Annual Report highlights SAI's efforts in 2011 to advance and implement 'human rights at work'  

Urgent Notice: SA8000 Auditing for Fire Safety Mandatory webinar for SA8000 auditors and trainees to enhance competence in health & safety   Call for Suppliers: Brazil Worker Engagement Program SAI invites factories in the São Paulo region to join the Worker Engagement Program to help enhance health and safety systems RAGS Project Exceeds Targets to Combat Gender Discrimination  The Project's workshops in India offer a timely focus on gender discrimination to foster change     Brazil: Beraca Hosts Workshop for Suppliers in Amazon   3rd annual workshop offered a forum for dialogue and discussion on sustainability issues    1st Electronics Sector Roundtable Convenes in India SAI & Cividep joint roundtable draws a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss challenges in the sector, and a collective path forward   Pillars in Practice Project Spotlight: Bangladesh The Bangladesh garment sector is one of the three countries and sectors that the PiP Project focuses on to implement the UN Guiding Principles   Implementing the UN Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights  Two-day Training Event - January 28-29, 2013 in Utrecht, The Netherlands    SAI Advisory Board Updates Dorianne Beyer, Chair of the SAI Advisory Board's Membership Committee announced some recent developments to the board    SA8000 Auditor Training in Chittagong On November 25-29, 2012 SAI convened a Basic SA8000 Auditor Training course in Chittagong, Bangladesh hosted by the German Technical Cooperation (GIZ).    Highlights & Announcements

• Parliament of India Passes Companies Bill
  On December 18, the Companies Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha (House of the People, Parliament of India) which aims to overhaul corporate governance norms. It will grant shareholders with greater powers to defend their rights and mandate companies to invest in CSR initiatives. Learn more @http://bit.ly/TmHIJf 
   
• U.S. Government on Business and Human Rights: Letter to the UN Working Group
  SAI's Pillars in Practice Program was included in this letter as an example of a U.S. government funded program that supports the UN Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights. Read it @1.usa.gov/10pqvw8  
   
• 35 Female CSR Leaders You've (Possibly) Never Heard Of
  Representatives from SAI Corporate Program members- Laura Rubbo, Disney & Kindley Walsh-Lawlor, Gap Inc. were honored for their CSR efforts on this list by Triple Pundit. Congrats! See the list at http://bit.ly/WbSQ7k
   
• Market for Ethical Products Grows by Nearly $20 Billion Despite Economic Downturn
  The annual Ethical Consumer Markets Report found that business intervention, together with regulatory intervention, is driving ethical sales growth. Read it at http://bit.ly/U7adc0 
   
• ISEAL Credibility Principles Workshop
  On December 5 in New Delhi, SAI Training Coordinator Stephanie Wilson & India Project Director Rishi Sher Singh attended this workshop on ISEAL's upcoming Credibility Principles 
   
• Rainforest Alliance Living Wage Workshop
  On January 30, SAI Europe Representative Edwin Koster and Advisory Board member Dorianne Beyer will attend and present at this workshop in Amsterdam.