TO:
UBC Board of Governors
President Benoit-Antoine Bacon
Principal Lesley Cormack
Students unions have long had the duty of standing up and advocating for student rights. The rights to freedom of expression and assembly are fundamental to any vibrant student community. The Students’ Union of UBC Okanagan (SUO) firmly supports the students’ right to peaceful protest at the People’s University of Gaza encampment on our campus.
The SUO stands unequivocally in support of the students’ rights to freely express their views and assemble in peaceful protest. These rights are also essential to the democratic values we cherish and are integral to the mission of UBC as a place of learning and open discourse. We call on the UBC administration to ensure that all students can exercise these rights safely and without intimidation or punitive measures.
As directed by our membership during the Annual General Meeting on November 23rd, 2023, we reiterate our call and urge UBC to divest from all companies associated with the perpetuation of Israeli Settlements in Palestine. The list of the companies which were involved as per the motion passed at the AGM are the following:
- Motorola Solutions Inc
- Bezeq the Israeli Telecommunications Corporation
- Caterpillar
- General Mills Inc.
- Cellcom Israel Ltd
- Hewlett Packard
- Partner Communications Ltd
- Bank Hapoalim BM
- Lockheed Martin
Adopting ethical investment practices aligns with our core values and underscores our commitment to social justice and human rights. The SUO has previously divested from all forms of oil and gas, tobacco and any companies related to the weapons industry, and we urge the UBC Board of Governors again to take immediate and decisive action to divest from these companies identified as stakeholders in the Israeli settlements in Palestine.
We ask that a written response be provided, which will be made public to honour transparency.
Thank you,
SUO Board of Directors
WHEREAS the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2234 has declared that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian Territories are a “flagrant violation of international law” and that they violate Palestinian human rights.
WHEREAS the United Nations has produced a database of companies which are wrongly contributing to the development of these illegal settlements.
AND WHEREAS the UN database includes six companies, shares of which are held by the University of British Columbia: Motorola Solutions Inc, General Mills Inc, Partner Communications Ltd, Bezeq the Israeli Telecommunication Corporation, Cellcom Israel Ltd, and Bank Hapoalim BM.
WHEREAS UBC also holds shares in three other companies that have been cited and documented by Investigate (produced by the American Friends Service Committee) and Canadians for Justice and Peace in The Middle East to be violating Palestinian human rights: Caterpillar, Hewlett Packard, and Lockheed Martin.
AND WHEREAS UBC has a responsible investment policy and has signed onto the United Nations’ responsible investment program, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the SUO will pen a letter to UBC and the Board of Governors to direct the UBC Endowment Fund to divest from the nine companies mentioned above, no later than one week after the 2023 AGM.
