There appears to be a body for opinion for pressing the Shell issue further.
Below is a draft letter to Rita Gardner, Director of the RGS-IBG,
requesting a Special General Meeting. Anyone wishing to add their name to
the signatories of this letter should contact me as soon as possible
(suggested amendments to the text also welcome).
Dear Dr Gardner,
We were interested to learn that the Council of the Royal
Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) had at
its meeting on 10th June, discussed the motion passed at the Open Forum
during the Strathclyde conference which called for the Society to end its
sponsorship agreement with Shell UK plc, following allegations about that
company's complicity in human rights violations in Nigeria. We were
however, disappointed to learn that the Council had decided not to follow
the recommendation of the motion, and that Shell will continue to be a
corporate sponsor of the Society. We do not regard the decision of the
Council to be a satisfactory response to the motion, which was overwhelmingly
supported by Fellows present at the meeting in Glasgow. Therefore, as
Fellows and Associate Fellows of the Society, we request that a Special
General Meeting of the Society be called, in accordance with Chapter VI,
Section 2, Paragraph 2 of the Society's bye-laws. In keeping with the
spirit of the Society's constitution, we request that the original motion,
"We call upon the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute
of British Geographers) to end the Shell Oil Company's position
as corporate patron immediately."
should be proposed to the Special General Meeting, in order that all
Fellows and Associate Fellows should have the opportunity to vote on this
important issue.
Thank you for your time and assistance, and we look forward to hearing
from you.
Yours Sincerely,
Michael Woods
Steve Pile
Peter Jackson
Catherine Brace
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