Good morning.  My name is Gigi Kellett and I am the Associate Campaigns Director of Corporate Accountability International, formerly Infact. Corporate Accountability International is a membership organization that protects people by waging and winning campaigns challenging irresponsible and dangerous corporate actions around the world. For over 25 years, we've forced corporations--like Nestlé, General Electric and Philip Morris/Altria--to stop abusive actions.

Last November, in response to people's concerns about the threat Coke poses to water resources around the world, our members began challenging your corporation. Water is a basic human right and people's lack of access to water is an emerging global crisis. The United Nations estimates that by the year 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will not have access to enough water if current trends are not reversed. Your corporation is a leader in an industry that drains water supplies to sell as bottled water and make soft drinks, turning a right into a commodity.

In India, your bottling facilities have had devastating impacts on local communities. Your operations have drained so much water that at least five Indian communities face severe water shortages and health problems. Coke gets away with these irresponsible and dangerous actions because of its political and economic clout.

The movement challenging your corporation's abuses is growing.  In just a few months, thousands of Corporate Accountability International members and activists have joined with allies in India to demand that you stop stealing water, starting by: 1) Never reopening your plant in Plachimada; 2) Closing your plant in Mehdiganj; and 3) Paying for the damage you've done to affected communities. Here are a few examples:

• Hundreds of people have called and e-mailed their concerns to Coke's corporate headquarters in Atlanta;
• Students and local leaders across the US collected nearly 1,000 photo petitions--several examples of which are on display outside--that call on Coke to stop stealing water;
• Community leaders and activists have held public events and delivered public comments to your facilities in Atlanta, Portland, San Francisco, Baltimore and beyond; and
• Media outlets across the country, including the San Francisco Examiner, The Baltimore Chronicle, and your hometown Atlanta Journal-Constitution have covered the increasing outrage about Coke's abuses, particularly in India. 

Your corporation's shareholders and the financial community are watching closely. Mr. Isdell, how do you plan to address this growing pressure demanding an end to your corporation's irresponsible and dangerous actions?

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