REGISTRATION FORM

Saturday, May 5, 2001

The New World of Corporate Accountability: the Case of UNOCAL in Burma:
A forum for K-12 educators, university educators, students and the public.

Co-presented by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Jackson School of International Studies, the University of Washington School of Law, Department of Political Science, Human Rights Education and Research Network, the University of Washington Center of Labor Studies, the Center for Human Rights and Justice (of the UW an Seattle University Law Schools) and Open Society Institute.

Feedback from Participants:
"You did an outstanding job providing depth and balance on this issue.The reading/resource list, the array of speakers and openness for questions models ideal teaching. You clearly care about highlighting multiple perspectives. The guest speakers were incredibly articulate and knowledgable. I feel so privileged to have heard not one effective speaker, but half a dozen! This gave me some background knowledge I will definitely take back to the classroom and expand upon... I would like to have, at the very least, a town meeting (role play) on whether UNOCAL is liable for human rights abuses in Myanmar. I'm also thinking of a much broader unit (that involves) getting students to research and create policy proposals looking at specific corporations involved in liability questions."
--7th Grade Teacher, Madrona School, Edmonds Public School District

"I always appreciate the critical thinking required by how Global Source insists on presenting opposing views on critical issues."
--Language Arts Teacher, Olympia High School

"I thought the program was superb and the balance between presentations and questions and answers wonderful... It helped clarify my own thougths on some issues and to learn more about the history of the oil pipeline conflict. The views of the UNOCAL representative [Michael Thacher] also helped me to re-examine some of my own pre-conceived notions."
--Anita Ramasastry, Professor, University of Washington School of Law and Program Presenter

Where:
Parrington Hall, University of Washington Seattle campus

When:
Saturday, May 5, 8:30 am -12:30 pm.
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m
A special dialogue for educators will take place from 12:45-2:00 pm.

For Whom:
The general public, university students and faculty, and K-12 Educators. .

Why:
The broad issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR), or corporate accountability, is of increasing importance. Last year, 150 corporations faced shareholder resolutions, and more than two trillion dollars were invested with social responsibility criteria. Public companies are seeing a shift on Wall Street, with increasing interest in CSR. Many social funds performed better than did non-social funds in 2000.

Examining the case of UNOCAL in Burma (Myanmar) is relevant for several reasons:

1) A federal lawsuit by plaintiffs from Burma against UNOCAL in US court is the most well developed case at the critical juncture of investment abroad and US law.

2) The oil sector is seen as setting precedent in the world of CSR, with Shell and BP among the corporate leaders in promulgating CSR standards. A recent initiative by the US, the UK, and a number of leading oil companies is also setting new standards for corporate behavior in the resource extraction field.

3) The University of Washington and Seattle are appropriate venues for this discussion for several reasons. Numerous professors have expressed interest in having their students attend. The UW law school includes the highly respected Professor Anita Ramasastry, who has written on the UNOCAL case and its broader implications, and has taught "Globalization and International Law". The UW has a human rights network, which is working toward the status of a center, and both UW and Seattle U law schools have jointly formed the Center for Human Rights & Justice. UW Bothell campus offered a CHID course last quarter dealing specifically with transnational advocacy groups, and using the Doe v. Unocal trial as a case study. And finally, Seattle has a certain international profile related to issues of corporate responsibility, due to the WTO experience.

Program Schedule

8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• "Corporate Accountability, Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Intersection of International Business and Human Rights Concerns"
  Lyuba Zarsky, Director of the Globalization and Governance Program of the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development
  
  
• "UNOCAL in Burma: Where is the 'Truth'?"
  Edith Mirante, author of Burmese Looking Glass: A Human Rights Adventure and a Jungle Revolution
  Cristina Fink, Anthropologist, author of Living Silence: Burma under Military Rule
  Bruce Ramsey, The Seattle Times
  Michael Thacher, General Manager, Public Relations and Communications, UNOCAL Corporation
  
  
• "The Implications of the UNOCAL Case and Lawsuit for the International World of Corporate Accountability"
  Anita Ramasastry, Professor, UW Law School

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

• Educator¹s Dialog on bringing international corporate issues into the K-12 classroom
  Facilitated by: Larry Dohrs, Global Source Education and Kim Bush, Social Studies Teacher, Jackson High School (Everett, WA)
  
  A reading packet with curricular suggestions for educators is included. Six additional Washington State clock hours are available at no extra charge.