AMGEN INC. | Civil Rights, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Audit at AMGEN INC.

Status
Withdrawn
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Resolution details
Company ticker
AMGN
Lead filer
Newground Social Investment, SPC
Resolution ask
Conduct due diligence, audit or risk/impact assessment
ESG theme
  • Social
ESG sub-theme
  • Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI)
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Health Care
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
Shareholders of Amgen, Inc. ("Amgen") request that the Board of Directors commission a racial equity audit to analyze Amgen's impacts on civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as the impacts of those issues on Amgen's business.

The audit may, at the board's discretion, be conducted by an independent third party with input from civil rights organizations, employees, communities in which Amgen operates, and other stakeholders.

A report on the audit, prepared at reasonable cost and omitting confidential or proprietary information, should be publicly disclosed on Amgen's website within a reasonable amount of time.
Supporting statement
Recent events, including the murder of George Floyd, have galvanized the movement for racial justice and equity. That movement and the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have focused the attention of media and policymakers on systemic racism, racial violence, and inequities throughout society.

Companies across the spectrum can benefit from assessing the risks of products, practices, services, and overall corporate practices that are or could be perceived to be discriminatory, racist, or that could contribute to increasing inequality.

Following controversies, Facebook and Starbucks conducted civil rights and equity audits that assisted each company to identify, prioritize, and implement improvements. These efforts provide an emerging model for such audits, which have typically been conducted by a third party, in collaboration with experts in civil rights, and with input from an array of stakeholders.

Because such an audit would either improve Amgen's standing - or further set it apart as a leader that can inspire others - shareholders urge Amgen to commission a racial equity audit of its policies, practices, products, and services so as to evaluate the company's impact on civil rights, equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as the impacts of those issues on our company's business.

DISCLAIMER: By including a shareholder resolution or management proposal in this database, neither the PRI nor the sponsor of the resolution or proposal is seeking authority to act as proxy for any shareholder; shareholders should vote their proxies in accordance with their own policies and requirements.

Any voting recommendations set forth in the descriptions of the resolutions and management proposals included in this database are made by the sponsors of those resolutions and proposals, and do not represent the views of the PRI.

Information on the shareholder resolutions, management proposals and votes in this database have been obtained from sources that are believed to be reliable, but the PRI does not represent that it is accurate, complete, or up-to-date, including information relating to resolutions and management proposals, other signatories’ vote pre-declarations (including voting rationales), or the current status of a resolution or proposal. You should consult companies’ proxy statements for complete information on all matters to be voted on at a meeting.