International development & solidarity

Prospect is actively involved in a number of international development projects.

As well as supporting the Make Poverty History coalition and its successor The World Can't Wait , we work with various human rights non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Specific Prospect initiatives include:

• hosting seminars on the Millennium Development Goals and on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  
• surveying our members and seeking their positive ideas about CSR
  
• practical support for the CACTUS flower workers in Colombia and continuing support to their union, Sintra Splendour
• our 'sight for poor eyes' project with Vision Aid to provide spectacles for people in developing countries
• developing relationships with global trade unions.

The ultimate international development goals are to achieve poverty reduction, more and better aid, trade justice and acceptable labour standards across the developing world. There are many practical steps we can take as an organisation that may go some way towards achieving those goals:

• seeking to widen the involvement of our reps and members in international development issues
• continuing to work with War on Want and other appropriate NGOs
• developing and promoting a model CSR policy
• seeking implementation of that CSR policy by a range of Prospect employers, and publicising examples of good practice
• publicising the fact that people in developing countries who work for major computer manufacturers are often prohibited from joining a trade union
• using our influence in any way possible to persuade global technology firms to respect the basic human rights and dignities of their employees worldwide.