Confidential, for Use of the
Commission Only (as permitted by Rule
14a-6(e)(2))
o
Definitive Proxy
Statement
þ
Definitive
Additional Materials
o
Soliciting Material Pursuant to
§
240.14a-12
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2010 FUND
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2020 FUND
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2025 FUND
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2030 FUND
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2040 FUND
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2045 FUND
FIDELITY
FREEDOM 2050 FUND
FIDELITY
ASSET MANAGER 50%
FIDELITY
ASSET MANAGER 70%
FIDELITY
INTERMEDIATE BOND FUND
FIDELITY
INVESTMENT GRADE BOND FUND
FIDELITY
CASH RESERVES
FIDELITY
U.S. GOVERNMENT RESERVES
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its
Charter)
MASSACHUSETTS COALITION TO SAVE
DARFUR, INC.
(DOING
BUSINESS AS: INVESTORS AGAINST GENOCIDE)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy
Statement if Other Than the Registrant)
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appropriate box)
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Check box if any part of the fee
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(1)
Amount Previously
Paid:
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Statement No.:
(3)
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Party:
(4)
Date
Filed:
Since
June 7, 2009, Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, Inc. (d/b/a Investors
Against Genocide) has maintained a website, GenocideFreeFidelity.net, to
encourage shareholders of the above-listed Registrants (collectively, “Fidelity”) to vote in favor
of Proposal No. 3 included in the definitive proxy statements filed by Fidelity
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 29, 2009. The
text, layout, and linked files of this website are filed as Annex 1
hereto. Prior to creation of such website, Massachusetts Coalition to
Save Darfur, Inc. included information regarding such proposal on the website
InvestorsAgainstGenocide.net. The press release and email
communications linked to on GenocideFreeFidelity.net and included in Annex 1
hereto were first made available on the dates referenced therein.
Additionally,
Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, Inc. is filing the text and layout of
two internet ads regarding such Proposal No. 3, each of which has linked to
GenocideFreeFidelity.net since they were created on June 7,2009. Lastly, Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, Inc. is filing
the text and layout of an email communication currently intended to be sent to a
portion of the Fidelity shareholders encouraging them to vote in favor of
Proposal No. 3. Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, Inc.
currently intends to cause this email to be sent to shareholders on or around
June 19, 2009.
Annexes:
Annex 1:
Text, layout, and linked files of GenocideFreeFidelity.net website as of June 7,2009.
Annex 2:
Text and layout of internet ads linking to GenocideFreeFidelity.net website as
of June 7, 2009.
Annex 3:
Text and layout of communication to shareholders as of June 10,2009.
Annex
1
Shareholder information
on
Fidelity proxy Question
3
Vote FOR Question 3 on Fidelity's
proxy ballot to encourage genocide-free
investing
Reflect
on the Holocaust. The killing fields of Cambodia. The massive
slaughter in Rwanda. After each of these horrifying genocides, world
leaders and private citizens joined in a collective promise – “Never
again.”
Fidelity
shareholders now have the unique opportunity to make an important
difference in society’s ability to keep that promise.
How?
§
Vote FOR Question 3 if you are a shareholder of any of these 13 Fidelity
funds on the proxy ballots you recently received from
Fidelity.
§
A vote FOR Question 3 requests the Fidelity board to “institute procedures to
prevent holding investments in companies that, in the judgment of the
board, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity,
the most egregious violations of human rights."
This information was prepared by
Investors Against Genocide for the proxy ballot voting at Fidelity
on July 15, 2009.
Why?
§
“Ethical
investing” may mean different things to different people, but few people
want their hard-earned savings to be invested in companies that help to
fund genocide.
§
In
a 2007 study, 71% of respondents said companies should take extreme cases
of human rights abuses, such as genocide, into account rather than base
investment decisions solely on economic
criteria.
§
Looking
back, who would support the idea of investing in firms that sought to make
a profit by selling Zyklon-B gas to the Nazis or machetes for the genocide
in Rwanda?
§
The
shareholder proposal in Question 3 is not theoretical. Right now the
government in Sudan is waging a genocide in Darfur. Avoiding the small
number of problem companies that are helping to fund the genocide in
Darfur should not result in any significant effect on
performance
Voting
information
§
If
you have not voted and still have your proxy, please vote TODAY for
Question 3. Your vote will matter. You will need your control
number and security code from the
proxy.
- Click
here to read the Fidelity proxy materials.
§
If
you want to change your vote or have discarded your proxy materials, you
can still vote FOR Question 3. Contact Fidelity at 800-544-6666 and
ask for instructions on how to revote or vote after discarding your
materials.
Why Fidelity opposes Question
3 -- Fidelity opposes Question 3. The key section of their
statement of opposition says, “If adopted, this proposal would limit investments
by the Fund that would be lawful under the laws of the United States. For this
reason, the Board of Trustees recommends that you vote AGAINST this
proposal.”
Help make our investments
genocide-free -- TIAA-CREF, another giant mutual fund, has adopted strong
policies to draw the line at investing in companies that contribute to genocide,
joining many states and colleges that adopted Sudan divestment policies.
Now, if Fidelity acts, it could set a new standard for the world’s mutual
funds.
About Investors Against
Genocide -- Investors Against Genocide, a project of the Massachusetts
Coalition to Save Darfur Inc., a 501c3 non-profit, is dedicated to convincing
mutual funds, such as Fidelity, to adopt procedures to prevent investments in
companies that substantially contribute to genocide.
Fidelity opposes Question
3. The key section of their statement of opposition says, “If
adopted, this proposal would limit investments by the Fund that would be
lawful under the laws of the United States. For this reason, the Board of
Trustees recommends that you vote AGAINST this
proposal.”
The
genocide-free investing shareholder proposal requests that the Fidelity board
“institute procedures to prevent holding investments in companies that, in the
judgment of the board, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against
humanity.”
§
Fidelity continues to insist on
maintaining flexibility to invest in genocide. Note that in 2008,
Fidelity also opposed the genocide-free investing proposal. Despite
Fidelity’s active opposition, 14 funds recorded votes ranging from 31% to
20% in favor of genocide-free investing. If more shareholders vote
FOR Question 3 this year, rather than throwing away their voting
materials, the proposal will do even
better.
§
Fidelity
has consistently refused to draw the line at investing in genocide and
continues to be a large investor in PetroChina and other companies that
partner with the government of Sudan and help to fund the genocide in
Darfur.
§
“Fidelity portfolio managers
make their investment decisions based on business and financial
considerations, and take into account other issues only if they materially
impact these considerations or conflict with applicable legal
standards.”
“We believe the resolution of
complex social and political issues must be left to the appropriate
authorities of the world that have the responsibility, and capability, to
address important matters of this type. And we would sincerely hope that
they would do so wisely on behalf of all of the citizens of the
globe.”
Fidelity’s
proxy statement in opposition to genocide-free investing matches its 2008
position. Fidelity does not attempt to deny the connection between
PetroChina and genocide, nor argue that investing in genocide is somehow
more profitable. Instead, it simply notes that “this proposal would limit
investments by the Fund that would be lawful under the laws of the United
States.”
Tell your friends and family
about the opportunity to vote! Most shareholders throw away
their ballots or automatically vote with management. Help spread the
word of this important opportunity to vote your values, because your help
will make a difference in the vote.
§
Use this half-page flyer
about the July 15, 2009, vote at Fidelity's shareholder meeting, designed
for use as a handout to spread the
word.
In
its February 2007 SEC
filing, Fidelity's global holdings of PetroChina topped $1.3
billion. Since then, Fidelity has significantly reduced its
holdings in PetroChina and Sinopec on the New York Stock Exchange, but
continues to be a very large holder of these stocks, primarily on the Hong
Kong Stock Exchange.
§
Fidelity holds
PetroChina primarily in its mutual funds from Fidelity Investments and
Fidelity
International. In 2007 and 2008, some of the funds from Fidelity
with major PetroChina holdings were Southeast Asia fund, China Region
fund, China Focus fund (FIL), Southeast Asia fund (FIL), Southeast Asia
fund (FIL-UK), and Institutional Southeast Asia
(FIL-UK).
§
Fidelity's worldwide
holdings of PetroChina were approximately $600 million in early 2008, with
at least another $300 million invested in Sinopec (China
Petroleum).
§
Fidelity's worldwide
holdings of PetroChina were worth $604 million, estimated
based on information accessed by the Sudan Divestment Task Force through
Bloomberg LP and market-valued as of August 1,2007.
§
The
Sudan Divestment Task Force research using Bloomberg LP also showed
Fidelity with $308 million of Sinopec, $33 million of ONGC, and $6 million
of Petronas.
Other materials from Investors
Against Genocide
§
Press
release on
Fidelity distributing proxies for vote on genocide-free investing -
June 1, 2009
§
Email
on Fidelity voting again on genocide-free investing - June 7,2009
FIDELITY FILES DEFINITIVE PROXY
MATERIALS FOR VOTE ON GENOCIDE
Second year in a row that Fidelity
customers can vote in favor of genocide-free investing
Boston, MA – June 1, 2009 - For the
second year in a row, Fidelity customers have an opportunity to vote on a
question concerning genocide. On Friday, Fidelity filed its definitive proxy
materials with the SEC, and proxy ballots are now being distributed to millions of its
customers. The proxy ballots list proposal 3 as a “shareholder proposal concerning
‘procedures to prevent holding
investments in companies that, in the judgment of the Board, substantially
contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity, the most egregious
violations of human rights.’” Customers can vote (or re-cast their
vote) at any time before or at the July 15 shareholders
meetings.
The filing lists thirteen Fidelity
mutual funds as voting on the genocide-free investing proposal: Fidelity Freedom 2010
Fund, Fidelity Freedom 2020 Fund, Fidelity Freedom 2025 Fund, Fidelity Freedom
2030 Fund, Fidelity Freedom 2040 Fund, Fidelity Freedom 2045 Fund, Fidelity
Freedom 2050 Fund, Fidelity Asset Manager 50%, Fidelity Asset Manager 70%, Fidelity Intermediate Bond
Fund, Fidelity Investment Grade Bond Fund, Fidelity Cash Reserves, and Fidelity
U.S. Government Reserves
“We hope all shareholders of these funds
will take this important opportunity to vote for genocide-free investing,” states Eric Cohen, chairperson of
Investors Against Genocide, the non-profit organization that is leading the
shareholder action. Cohen stressed that shareholders can vote or change their
vote right up until the meeting is held on July 15. Shareholders can contact Fidelity for
information on how to vote, or re-vote even if they have discarded their
ballots.
Last year, the same proposal was voted
on at 16 Fidelity funds and received as many as 31% of the votes. This strong
support was unprecedented for a vote on a social concern which
usually receive single digit percentages. “The high number of votes in favor of the
proposal was particularly encouraging given Fidelity’s active opposition as well as the large
number of votes cast by institutional shareholders,” said Cohen. In addition to Fidelity,
the proposal has also been filed with a wide range of other mutual fund
companies including American, Barclays, Franklin Templeton, T. Rowe Price, and
Vanguard.
In an important victory for the cause of
genocide-free investing,
Investors Against Genocide withdrew its shareholder proposal from the proxy
ballot for TIAA-CREF’s July 2009 shareholders’ meeting. This action followed
TIAA-CREF’s decision to vigorously engage
PetroChina and other problem companies partnering with the Government of Sudan
and to divest from those companies if they continue to substantially contribute
to genocide or crimes against humanity. TIAA-CREF’s policy applies to the ongoing genocide
in Darfur, Sudan, as well as to future genocides.
The shareholder proposal for
genocide-free investing raises the issue of the fundamental management
responsibilities of financial institutions and whether shareholders should be
able to expect mainstream funds to be genocide-free. The public's
interest in this
expectation was highlighted by a 2007 study by KRC Research, in which 71% of
respondents said companies should take into account extreme cases of human
rights abuses, such as genocide, when investing overseas, rather than base their
investment decisions on economic criteria only. The
related Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act passed both Houses of Congress
unanimously and was signed into law by President Bush on December 31,2007.
“Ethical investing may mean different
things to different people,
but surely there is a minimum standard upon which everyone agrees,” states Cohen. “Americans do not want their family
savings and pension funds invested in companies that help to fund genocide
whether that genocide is occurring today in Darfur or anywhere else in
the future.”
An
increasing number of colleges, universities, and states have taken action to
divest from companies that help fund the genocide in Darfur. Thousands of
individuals have joined this movement and divested their personal savings from
investment firms, like Fidelity, that own shares in such companies.
Hundreds
of thousands have been killed and millions have been driven from their homes, in
Darfur. This humanitarian crisis has been labeled by the US government as the
first genocide of the 21st century. The government of Sudan has continued to
pursue genocide in Darfur for nearly five years, using as much as 70% of its oil
revenue to provide arms and funding for the genocide, rather than economic
development for the poor people of Sudan. Although federal law prevents most US
companies from operating in Sudan, American financial institutions, notably
mutual fund companies, are major investors in the Chinese, Indian, and Malaysian
oil companies involved in Sudan which are helping to fund this genocide. As a
result, ordinary investors, through their mutual funds, family savings, and
pension plans entrusted to these financial institutions are inadvertently
investing in genocide.
Investors
Against Genocide is a non-profit organization dedicated to convincing mutual
fund and other investment firms to change their investing strategy so as to
avoid complicity in genocide. The organization will work with individuals,
companies, organizations, financial institutions, the press, investment firm
employees, and government agencies to build awareness and to create financial,
public relations, and regulatory pressure for investment firms to change. The
ultimate goals are that the Government of Sudan ends its deadly genocide in
Darfur and that investment firms avoid investing in genocide in the future. For
more information, visit www.investorsagainstgenocide.org.
####
Email on Fidelity
customers
now voting on
genocide-free
investing
Fidelity
customers now voting on genocide-free investing - email sent on June 7,2009
Investors Against Genocide
Draw the line at investing in
genocide
Reflect on the Holocaust.
The killing fields of Cambodia. The massive slaughter
in Rwanda. After each of these
horrifying genocides, world leaders and private citizens
joined in a collective promise – “Never again.” Now, this summer, customers at
two of America’s largest
mutual fund companies have the unique
opportunity to help keep that promise.
For the second year in a row,
Fidelity customers have an opportunity to
vote on a question concerning genocide. Fidelity has begun
distributing proxy ballots that include our genocide-free
investing shareholder proposal for thirteen Fidelity
funds. A vote
FOR Question 3 on the Fidelity ballot
indicates that shareholders do not want their savings invested
in companies that
substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against
humanity.
Similarly, as we wrote you on
April 12, for Vanguard shareholders of 30 of its funds,
a vote FOR Question 3 indicates they do not
want Vanguard to invest their family savings in companies that substantially
contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity.
HELP US “GET OUT THE
VOTE”
Whether or not you are a customer, we
need your help to get out the vote. Please forward this email to friends
and family and also use other means such as social networking sites,
blogs, group meetings, and bulletin boards to spread the word. We need to
reach as many voters as possible since many people ignore proxy ballots assuming
they contain no issues of interest.
Please vote your conscience on this
important issue. Look for Question
3 on the ballot page.
Fidelity opposes Question 3. The key section of their statement of
opposition says, “If adopted, this proposal would limit
investments by the Fund that would be lawful under the laws of the United
States. For this reason, the Board of Trustees recommends that you vote
AGAINST this proposal.” We know that in the face of genocide,
ordinary Americans expect more from their investment managers. In a 2007
study, 71% of respondents said companies should take extreme cases of human
rights abuses, such as genocide, into account rather than base investment decisions solely on
economic criteria. Last year, despite Fidelity’s active opposition, our proposal earned
as much as 31% of the votes, an unusually strong result for an issue of social
concern. Read more at www.GenocideFreeFidelity.net.
The Fidelity voting will remain open up
until the shareholders meeting on July 15. All shareholders can change
their vote to be FOR Question 3 right up until the meeting.
If you have questions about the proposal or about voting, please feel free to
contact us at info@investorsagainstgenocide.org.
Vanguard opposes Question 3 and claims that the shareholder proposal, if
adopted, would simply result in a “duplicate” of Vanguard’s existing procedure. We strongly
disagree. The
shareholder proposal requests that the Vanguard board “institute procedures to prevent holding
investments in companies that, in the judgment of the
board, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against
humanity.” In
contrast, the practices and procedures outlined in Vanguard’s statement of opposition consist of a
“formal procedure for
regular reporting to the trustees on portfolio companies
whose direct involvement in crimes against humanity or patterns of egregious
abuses of human rights would warrant engagement or potential
divestment.” Read
more at www.GenocideFreeVanguard.net.
The Vanguard voting will remain open up
until the shareholders meeting on July 2. All Vanguard shareholders can
change their vote to be FOR Question 3 right up until the
meeting.
Thanks so much all you’ve done and continue to do for the cause of genocide-free
investing.
The Investors Against Genocide Team
PS – If you haven't already joined us,
please volunteer to submit a shareholder proposal for any mutual fund you have
held for over a year and in which you have at least $2,000 invested. We’ve made the process very easy and
completely confidential. Click here
for details. Becoming
a volunteer costs nothing, extends the reach of the campaign, and helps
to force a vote and
increased public attention on the problem of financial firms investing in
genocide.
Please
take a moment to reflect on the Holocaust. The killing fields of
Cambodia. The massive slaughter in Rwanda. After each of
these horrifying genocides, world leaders and private citizens joined in a
collective promise – “Never again.”
Today, as
a shareholder in Fidelity’s XXX Fund, you have a unique opportunity
to make an important difference in society’s ability to keep that
promise.
How? Vote FOR Question 3 on the
proxy ballot you recently received from Fidelity to support a shareholder
proposal requesting that the trustees of Fidelity institute procedures to
prevent its funds from holding investments in companies that, in the judgment of
the trustees, substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against
humanity.
“Ethical
investing” may mean different things to different people, but few people want
their hard-earned savings to be invested in companies that help to fund
genocide. In fact, in a 2007 study, 71% of respondents said companies
should take extreme cases of human rights abuses, such as genocide, into account
rather than base investment decisions solely on economic
criteria. This is not surprising. Looking back, who would
support the idea of investing in firms that sought to make a profit by selling
Zyklon-B gas to the Nazis or machetes for the genocide in Rwanda?
Investors
Against Genocide, a project of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur Inc.,
a 501c3 non-profit, is dedicated to convincing mutual funds, such as Fidelity,
to adopt procedures to prevent investments in companies that substantially
contribute to genocide.
The
shareholder proposal in Question 3 is not theoretical. Right now the
Government in Sudan is waging a genocide in Darfur. Avoiding the
small number of problem companies that are substantially contributing to the
genocide in Darfur should not result in any significant effect on
performance.
As a
small non-profit organization, we cannot afford to mail shareholders in all 13
Fidelity funds eligible to vote, but we are emailing to a small subset,
including you. That makes your vote especially
important. If the shareholder proposal receives strong
support, it will be a major victory for the cause of genocide-free
investing.
·
Please
vote FOR Question 3. YOUR VOTE WILL MATTER. If you
have your control number and security code from your proxy materials, you
can vote online at www.proxyvote.com/proxy.
·
If
you want to change your vote or have discarded your proxy materials, you
can still vote FOR Question 3. Contact Fidelity at 800-544-6666
and ask for instructions on how to revote or vote after discarding your
materials.
Fidelity
opposes Question 3. The key section of their statement of opposition says,
“If adopted, this proposal would limit investments by the Fund that would be
lawful under the laws of the United States. For this reason, the Board of
Trustees recommends that you vote AGAINST this proposal.” Fidelity’s
position is an inadequate response to genocide. Fidelity has
consistently refused to draw the line at investing in genocide and continues to
be a large investor in PetroChina and other companies that partner with the
government of Sudan and help to fund the genocide in Darfur.
TIAA-CREF,
another giant mutual fund, has adopted strong policies to draw the line at
investing in companies that contribute to genocide, joining many states and
colleges that adopted Sudan divestment policies. Now, if Fidelity
acts, it could set a new standard for the world’s mutual funds.
Please
join the millions of private investors who have already voted for genocide-free
investing. Together we can influence mutual fund companies like
Fidelity to adopt procedures to avoid investing in companies that substantially
contribute to genocide.
Sincerely,
Eric
Cohen
Chairperson,
Investors Against Genocide
ABOUT
MASSACHUSETTS COALITION TO SAVE DARFUR, INC.
Massachusetts
Coalition to Save Darfur, Inc. is a qualified tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation.
It does not hold any of Registrant’s outstanding shares.
IMPORTANT
INFORMATION
SECURITY
HOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATED TO
THE SOLICITATION OF PROXIES
FROM SHAREHOLDERS FOR USE AT THE 2009 FIDELITY ANNUAL MEETING WHEN THEY BECOME
AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL
CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING INFORMATION RELATING TO THE
PARTICIPANTS IN SUCH PROXY PARTICIPATION.
THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT AND A FORM OF PROXY IS AVAILABLE, ALONG WITH
OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS,
AT NO CHARGE, AT THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION’S (“SEC”) WEBSITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SEC.GOV OR BY CONTACTING
FIDELITY BY TELEPHONE AT (866) 749-0145
Dates Referenced Herein and Documents Incorporated by Reference
