I once heard George Soros explain or rather rationalize his investment in a company that produces land mines while his charitable organization worked to remove them from locations they had been planted and end their use. He explained that someone was going to reap the profits from the land mine company, so who better than he to reap those benefits since he would be putting them to better use that most other investors.

About three weeks ago The Los Angeles Times published a carefully researched story analyzing the impact of the investments in the Gates Foundation relative to the Foundations health objectives.Posts

Alternet commented on the Times story, “When the Times news story revealed that the investments of the Gates Foundation are neutralizing the positive benefits of the grants, the foundation’s initial response was to agree to review their investment policies. The Foundation then quickly changed course. According to Patty Stonisfer the Foundation’s CEO, in a letter to the editor of the LA Times, ” It would be naive to think that changing the foundation’s investment policy could stop the human suffering blamed on the practices of companies in which it invests billions of dollars.”

This is disappointing and disingenuous reasoning on many levels.”

Alternet and the Times highlight as one example “that Gates is investing in an Italian oil company, Eni, that spews pollution, and “250 toxic chemicals in [its] fumes and soot have long been linked to respiratory disease and cancer.” This is the same part of the world where the Gates Foundation grants millions of dollars on vaccinations to immunize children against deadly diseases like polio and measles.”

This raises a classic dilemma, but one that should have a clear answer. Values and mission must be present and be aspired to on all levels at all times. The end does not justify the means. Transparency is always paramount. As the field of corporate responsibility draws in a wider and wider circle of participants, some will bring with them a system of dealing with the challenges we face that is not systemic. A system that in some ways helped create the same problems that these groups now want to help eliminate.

The Gates Foundation deserves the scrutiny it has attracted. Their financial power will deter most from questing their work and their lack of transparency. We must challenge them to look more holistically at their process.