OPENING STATEMENT
Y-Not-Chocolate is a small company based in California that produces and distributes chocolate products. We were founded by our current CEO, Maya Benzoni. Recently, Ms. Benzoni has taken action in order to expand our company’s market to the global level by reaching out to various landowners in the town of La Suerte, Venezuela, in the hopes of establishing an agreement to develop her cocoa industry there. The climate conditions and agricultural potential are excellent in the region surrounding La Suerte. Ms. Benzoni promises to use sustainable methods and fair trade prices to ensure economic and political honesty from her company, and also plans to build a school for girls using a portion of the profits as a way of giving back to the community. This “Partnership Agreement” aims to grow and develop La Suerte’s economy and strengthen their international status. The Town Council, however, has prohibited this agreement, distancing La Suerte from its potential economic prosperity.
After being unjustly prevented by the Town Council, Maya Benzoni has unfortunately been forced to sue, so that she can expand her company, and, more importantly, bring these possible benefits of globalization to the people of La Suerte. In an increasingly global market, Ms. Benzoni’s company seeks to expand to the same international scale that many companies before her have successfully done without impeding on existing cultures.
The Town Council of La Suerte has the right to defend their town from imposing forces, and it is actually reassuring to our company that our prospective partner has stood their ground with such strong integrity. Globalization’s history has been tainted with instances of exploitation and cultural hegemony; there is evidence of this in many countries, including the Congo and Iran. We understand it is reasonable for small communities such as La Suerte to fear this expansion because of these past failures of globalization. However, these corrupt situations do not represent the mission and morals of Y-Not-Chocolate. While many small towns in developing countries have become wary of globalization’s impacts, our mission is to pursue it in a responsible, sustainable manner. The Town Council has clearly demonstrated their opposition to Y-Not-Chocolate’s partnership agreement, but with the potential of improvements in their economy, schools, and overall quality of life, it is clear that our partnership will create lasting prosperity.
Our witnesses include some of the most qualified experts and luminaries of our era. We are happy to be working with one of the co-founders of both Doctors Without Borders and Doctors of the World, Bernard Kouchner, who will discuss how more stable countries are able to stabilize others through globalization. You will also hear from Oprah Winfrey, the proud founder of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls in South Africa, who has invested her personal time, money, and voice to push for education. We are also fortunate to have the founder of both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates, as well as our wonderful CEO, Maya Benzoni herself. She has dedicated her life to enriching the cocoa industry and is confident that her company and its mission of expanding sustainably and responsibly.
Our most important goal is to better the lives of Venezuelan citizens—we are here to create jobs and foster education. We believe, unconditionally, that when done thoughtfully and carefully, globalization promotes the greater good. It will create stable jobs and a balanced, fair society for La Suerte. In creating jobs, the local economy will improve profoundly, helping to dissolve the income gap between the wealthy and impoverished. We promise to build a school for girls so that together, Y-Not-Chocolate and La Suerte can inspire the next generation of young scholars for our quickly developing world. La Suerte will soon stand as an image of success and progress for other developing areas where education is a rarity, especially for young girls. Each aspect of our potential influence aims to improve the livelihood of local Venezuelans and create outstanding economic opportunities. Globalization is inevitable; we can already see it permeating cultures and societies across the world. If the Town Council of La Suerte would be so generous as to partner with us, we promise to be pioneers of a new era where increased globalization benefits the communities and people involved.