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A RESOLUTION <br />PROVIDING FOR THE DIVESTMENT OF CITY RETIREMENT FUNDS <br />• IN CERTAIN COMPANIES THAT DO BUSINESS <br />WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN <br />WHEREAS, the City of Charlottesville Retirement Plan Commission has a fiduciary obligation to <br />invest the City's retirement funds prudently and for the benefit of the City; and, <br />WHEREAS, pursuant to City Code section 19-64 the investment of retirement funds by the <br />Commission is subject to the restrictions of any investment policy adopted by formal resolution of the City <br />Council; and, <br />WHEREAS, the threshold for divestment of retirement funds based on factors other than <br />business reasons must be very high and should not be taken lightly; and, <br />WHEREAS, the government of Sudan has engaged in a policy of genocide against its own <br />civilian population in Darfur through use of its military and through sponsorship of attacks by armed <br />militias known as janjaweed; and, <br />WHEREAS, approximately 400,000 people have been tortured and killed, and some 2.5 million <br />displaced in and around Darfur; and, <br />WHEREAS, certain international companies operating in Sudan bring significant revenue, cover, <br />and arms to the Sudanese government while providing little benefit to the majority of Sudan's citizens; <br />and, <br />WHEREAS, the City Council has determined that a divestment of investments in multinational <br />• companies that directly support the activities of the Sudanese government is an appropriate response to <br />the situation in Darfur because a number of multinational companies, particularly in the energy and <br />telecommunications fields, provide the government of Sudan with substantial financial resources and the <br />infrastructure to continue the sponsorship of genocidal actions in Darfur; and, <br />WHEREAS, although the City Retirement Fund does not currently have direct investments in <br />such companies, the Council's action shall preclude future direct investment in these companies; and, <br />WHEREAS, this target divestment strategy is intended to indicate disapproval of the actions of <br />the Sudanese government without causing harm to innocent Sudanese citizens. <br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Council for the City of Charlottesville, Virginia <br />that the retirement fund's investment managers are hereby directed to refrain from investing or re- <br />investing the assets of the funds held in separately managed accounts, over which the Retirement <br />Commission serves as trustees and fiduciaries, in multinational companies identified as having direct <br />business ties to the Sudanese government or companies whose business activities are in direct support <br />of these companies and the activities of the government. The following are the specific criteria for <br />companies in which investments will not be allowed: <br />Provide revenues to the Sudanese government through business with the government, <br />government-owned companies or government -controlled consortiums; <br />2. Offer little substantive benefit to those outside the Sudanese government or its affiliated <br />supporters in Khartoum, Northern Sudan and the Nile River Valley — this "outside" population <br />specifically includes the country's disaffected Eastern, Southern, and Western regions; and, <br />3. Have demonstrated complicity in the Darfur genocide. <br />• Companies that meet any of the following criteria shall not be considered targeted for divestment: <br />1. Companies contracting exclusively with the Government of South Sudan. <br />