The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

The House of Bishops Committee on Social Justice and International Policy presented its Report #19 on Resolution D016 (Being Socially Responsible Investors in Palestine and Israel) and moved adoption of a substitute.

Original Text of Resolution:

(D016)

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 78th General Convention direct the Executive Council’s committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), consistent with existing policy of corporate engagement adopted in October 2005, to develop a list of U.S. and foreign corporations that provide goods and services that support the infrastructure of Israel’s Occupation, and maintain and update such a list annually, and to vigorously conduct an audit of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society (DFMS) investment portfolio to determine which of these companies, if any, are in the portfolio, and report its findings to the Winter Meeting of Executive Council, 2016, to be made public through the Episcopal News Service; and be it further

Resolved, That, consistent with existing Episcopal Church policy, CSR communicate by letter, emails, meetings and otherwise with the companies identified in the DFMS investment portfolio as being involved in the maintenance of the Occupation, if any, requesting that said companies withdraw from their business operations in Occupied Palestine until it is ended, and report on such corporate engagement to the June, 2016, meeting of Executive Council to be made public through the Episcopal News service; and be it further

Resolved, That Executive Council, with the aid of its CSR committee, file shareholder resolutions with any companies earlier identified, at its Fall meeting, 2016, asking said companies who have not agreed to terminate their business operations in Occupied Palestine and with whom dialogue has not been fruitful, to begin a process of disinvestment; and be it further

Resolved, That upon receiving the position of said companies to these shareholder resolutions, Executive Council, by its June meeting of 2017, with the aid of the CSR committee, develop a process of divestment from those companies who have refused to disinvest or in which further engagement is deemed futile, and are considered by CSR to be the most egregious supporters of the infrastructure of the Occupation, and to develop a process for placing on its No Buy List those companies earlier identified as supporting the Occupation, whether currently held or not, and for Council to make known its process for divestment and adding to the No Buy List (and the companies involved) through the Episcopal News Service, and that Council provide a report to the 79th General Convention on its implementation of this resolution; and be it further

Resolved, That this General Convention directs the Executive Council to establish a work group to identify a list of products made or businesses present in West Bank settlements (including East Jerusalem) and publishing them within one year of adjournment of this Convention so that Church entities, including congregations and individual members can seek to boycott those products and/or businesses which are illegal under international law; and be it further

Resolved, That Executive Council identify $15,000 for the work to be done in 2015, and that the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance provide $30,000 in 2016 and $30,000 in 2017 and $30,000 in 2018 to fund the work of CSR on this and other issues.

Committee Substitute:

Resolved, The House of Deputies concurring, that the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church align its investment practices with its moral values as articulated in the baptismal promises “to respect the dignity of every human being” and “to work for justice and peace;” and be it further

Resolved, That the Episcopal Church will work earnestly and with haste to avoid profiting from the illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, and will seek to align itself with, and learn from, the good work of our Ecumenical and Anglican Communion partners, who have worked for decades in support of our Palestinian Christian sisters and brothers and others oppressed by occupation, particularly the Board of Governors of the Church of England and their report of 2006, which states that they will no longer invest in companies that profit from the illegal occupation of Gaza and the West Bank; and be it further

Resolved, That the 78th General Convention direct the Executive Council Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to develop a list of U.S. and foreign corporations that provide goods and services that support the infrastructure of Israel’s Occupation for their Fall 2016 meeting to be reported to the Church and to maintain and update such a list annually; and be it further

Resolved, That the 78th General Convention direct the Executive Council to identify a list of products made and businesses present in illegal settlements for their Spring 2016 meeting to be communicated to the Church; and be it further

Resolved, That The 78th General Convention directs the Executive Council to continue to monitor its investments and apply its CSR policy to any possible future investments in companies identified on the above requested lists.

The question was called.

Motion carried

Debate terminated

A vote was taken on Resolution D016.

Motion defeated

Resolution rejected

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #214)