Hanoi, January 28, 2016 – The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs is pleased to announce ten finalists for the 2015 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE).
The Secretary of State has awarded the ACE each year since 1999, in order to recognize American companies that are leaders in responsible business conduct worldwide. Each of these companies is making an important contribution to the growth and sustainable development of the local economies in which they work. An interagency committee chaired by the Department of State chose these U.S. companies based on nominations submitted by U.S. ambassadors from around the world. New for 2015, ACE winners will be chosen in three distinct categories: for work on environmental sustainability; efforts on human rights and labor rights; and outstanding contribution by a small or medium enterprise. Those three winners will be announced at a ceremony on March 1.
The finalists for this year, listed in alphabetical order by category, are: Gigawatt Global in Rwanda; Texas Instruments, Inc. in the Philippines; Weyerhaeuser Productos S.A. in Uruguay; Cargill Vietnam Ltd. in Vietnam; Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. in Hong Kong ; Newmont Ghana Gold Limited in Ghana; East Bali Cashews in Indonesia; I-DEV International in Peru; Runa LLC in Ecuador; and Tegu in Honduras.
Cargill Vietnam Ltd. in Vietnam is classified under Human Rights and Labor Rights category. The Corporation demonstrated a long-term commitment to investing in its farmer-partners in cocoa and other sectors by supporting community health, training over 12,000 farmers in sustainable production techniques, and utilizing technology to share pricing information with farmers, the government, and other stakeholders to promote transparency and combat corruption.
The winners of the 2015 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence will be announced at the annual ceremony on March 1, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. EST at the State Department. The event will be globally streamed online at: http://video.state.gov
