Union General Meeting (27th Feb 2007)
Sudan Divestment
Proposed by: Benjamin Martin
Seconded by: Amy O'Donnell and Jessica Sinclair Taylor
This union notes:
(i) That there is a humanitarian crisis occurring in the Darfur region in the Sudan, a humanitarian crisis that has killed over 400,000 civilians since February 2003 and 2.5 million people have been displaced.
(ii) That unlike any other humanitarian crisis in history, the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan has been described as genocide or tantamount to genocide by the US government and the European respectively while atrocities are still ongoing.
(iii) That foreign investment has been of great importance in enabling the heaviliy indebted Sudanese government to finance its military policy of genocide.
(iv) That there is a strong possibility that University possesses stock and other forms of investment in companies which meet guidelines for targeted divestment set out by Sudan Divestment UK1.
(v) That the guidelines for divestment have been implemented by a large number of organisations, with American states, cities and universities all adopting restrictions on their investments.
1Sudan Divestment UK judges a company to be suitable if they: (1) Have a business relationship with the government, a government-created project, or companies affiliated with a government-created project; AND (2) Provide little benefit to the disadvantaged populations of Sudan; AND (3) Have not developed a substantial business-practice policy that acknowledges and deals with the fact that the company may be inadvertently contributing to the Sudanese government’s genocidal capacity.
This union believes:
(i) That the ethical consequences of the University’s investments are an issue of mounting concern to York students.
(ii) That targeted divestment is a powerful method of influencing the Sudanese government.
(iii) That targeted Sudan divestment is entirely consistent with a prudent investment policy designed to maximise returns.
(iv) That it is incumbent upon the institutions like York University, to do everything possible in order to facilitate the end of the genocidal killing of civilians and the restoration of security and the rule of law to the Darfur region.
This union resolves:
(i) To call for the University and all its affiliates to divest from those companies identified as meeting Sudan Divestment UK’s guidelines on Sudanese divestment following a review by the YUSU President of the holdings of the University and its affiliates.
(ii) To call for the University and its affiliates to make a statement of its intention not only to divest but to refrain from investing in any companies which meet Sudan Divestment UK’s guidelines until the situation in the Darfur has been resolved.
