PHA-Exchange> UNICEF and McDonald's

[Aviva]

.From: "Waba Forum" <wabaforum at pd.jaring.my>
 Copyright 2002 Financial Times Information
Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire
> 
>                               October 8, 2002
> 
 UNICEF MULLS OVER DUMPING MCDONALD'S DEAL
> 
> Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (PANA) - The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) is
> reviewing its involvement in a controversial global fundraising
> campaign  with the US-based McDonald's fast food giant, a senior
> official of the UN agency told PANA in an interview.
> 
> Dr Urban Jonsson, UNICEF's regional director for Eastern and Southern
> Africa, said an internal review on the campaign announced in July is
> going on and a decision is likely to be arrived at soon.
> 
> "There is a review going on because this was kind of a beginning. Quite
> a number of UNICEF people are of the opinion that it is really not
> appropriate to have any strong agreement or partnership with McDonald's
> for obvious reasons. "Because we all know that they promote a dietary
> culture that is very alien to what we call good nutrition. So the
> argument is very straightforward." millions of dollars on behalf of the
> world's children as part of a new McDonald's fundraising initiative
> dubbed "World Children's Day," to be rolled out in the burger firm's
> restaurants in 121 countries on 20 November.
> 
> The promotion, which also aims to raise money for McDonald's charitable
> arm, includes a pop concert in China to be broadcast over the Internet
> -  access to which can only be obtained by buying a Big Mac burger.
> UNICEF will receive a cut of the profits from each Big Mac sold.
> 
> But while UNICEF claims that apart from benefiting financially the
> campaign will help raise the profile of both the charity and wider child
> 
> health issues, critics argue that by partnering with McDonald's, the UN
> agency is promoting the "junk food" culture.
> 
> "To continue with this particular partnership will severely and
> permanently jeorpadise the good relations which the agency now has with
> people's organisations around the world," an international coalition of
> public-health professionals and activists say in a petition to UNICEF.
> The petition, in a form of a letter to UNICEF's executive director,
> Carol Bellamy, charged McDonald's as "a company known for its aggressive
> 
> promotion of foods that contribute to ill health and poor nutrition
> both  in industrialised and non- industrialised countries." Charging
> that the partnership could open floodgates, the petition also attacks
> UNICEF Nigeria for signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Coca-Cola
> Africa. "Surely all this is contrary to UNICEF's mission and is likely
> to
> undermine the World Health Organisation's fight against obesity,
> cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and other harmful
> conditions."
> 
> The fast-food restaurant chain, one the world's largest, serves some 46
> million people daily around the world. Speaking about partnerships, he
> said there are laid down guidelines that came out six months ago and was
> 
> sent out to all UNICEF country offices guiding their discussions with
> the private sector.
> 
> Should the guidelines be followed, Jonsson was of the opinion that
> UNICEF would not be entering into discussions or relations with
> McDonald's,
> Coca-Cola, tobacco companies or companies selling alcohol. Nicodemus
> Odhiambo, PANA Correspondent