On November 28, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented the Secretary of State's 2012 Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) to Sorwathé in Rwanda and Intel Corporation in Vietnam. The ACE is an annual award that recognizes U.S.-owned businesses that exhibit exemplary corporate citizenship, promote innovation, and advance democratic principles around the world.
This year’s small-medium-size company winner is Sorwathé in Kigali, Rwanda. This tea production company was honored for its efforts to support adult literacy, worker association and collective bargaining rights; undertake sustainable forestry and water management; and produce socially and environmentally responsible high quality tea. Sorwathé distinguished itself by leading the charge for the eradication of child labor in Rwanda’s tea sector.
This year’s winner in the large multinational enterprise category is Intel Corporation in Vietnam. This technology company was honored for its leadership in environmental protection though the generation of electricity through solar power; in transformative educational programs that focus on faculty and curriculum development, including through sending local educators for university training in the United States; and providing scholarships to disadvantaged children, youth, and women.
The winners were chosen from 11 finalists. Others were: Chevron in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; Esso Angola in Luanda, Angola; General Motors in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Intel Corporation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Microsoft in Bangkok, Thailand; Microsoft in Cairo, Egypt; Microsoft in New Delhi, India; Rosalie Bay in Dominica; and Sustainable Mahogany Industries Ltd. in Suva, Fiji.
Since 1999 the Secretary of State has bestowed the ACE on U.S. businesses in every region of the world that meet diverse needs of communities through corporate responsibility activities. The Department of State is committed to working with the business community to further their best practices worldwide and to encourage efforts that improve lives at home and abroad. For more information, please visit: http://www.state.gov/e/eb/ace.
