ESG

BlackRock Signs Climate Change Pact

January 15, 2020

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with more than $6.8 trillion under its control, has become a signatory to Climate Action 100+, joining 370 other global investors in an initiative designed to encourage companies to take action on climate change by becoming carbon neutral by 2050.
Wagner and Kuklis: EU Needs a Single Institution to Tackle Problem of Online Disinformation

January 08, 2020

Ben Wagner and Lubos Kuklis explain their proposal for the creation of a new single European institution which could act as an auditing intermediary to ensure that the data provided to regulators by social media companies are accurate.
SEC Scrutiny of ESG Investment Funds May Lead to Stronger Foundation for Constructing Socially Responsible Portfolios

January 07, 2020

Citing a Wall Street Journal report, Investment News reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission is examining funds that represent they invest in companies that advance environmental, social and governance goals, such as promoting sustainable development, slowing climate change, and increasing diversity and inclusion.
UNCTAD Develops Guidance to Measure Business Contributions to SDGs

December 04, 2019

In cooperation with the Intergovernmental Working Group of Experts on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting ("ISAR"), the UN Conference on Trade and Development ("UNCTAD") has developed a guidance tool to measure the contribution of the private sector to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Human Rights Groups Urge U.S. Senators to Pass ILLICIT CASH Act

November 20, 2019

In a letter to United States Senators, ten human rights organizations are urging passage of a proposed law they maintain would provide law enforcement officials with a tool for stemming corruption and advancing human rights.
NGO Report on Business and Human Rights Targets Large German Companies

November 06, 2019

According to a new report published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 90 percent of the 20 largest German companies failed to present fairly and clearly how they manage the human rights risks of their workers and suppliers, findings that "lay bare the need for government-mandated human rights due diligence in Germany and internationally to raise the floor of corporate behaviour."
UN Global Compact Launches Principles for Sustainable Ocean Business

September 18, 2019

On September 17, the United Nations Global Compact launched a set of nine Sustainable Ocean Principles urging companies abound the world “to commit to securing a healthy and productive ocean.”
UNDP Pursues SDG Impact Practice Standards for Private Equity Funds

September 06, 2019

The United Nations Development Programme has released a draft SDG Impact Practice Standards for Private Equity Funds, a set of standards developed by SDG Impact to guide private fund managers toward investments that advance the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.
Nordic CEOs Pursue Collaboration with Governments on SDGs

August 22, 2019

At a meeting of the Nordic Council of Ministers, leading business CEOs from the Nordic region presented their vision for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through greater public-private sector collaboration and the transition to purpose-driven business practices.
GRI Driving Corporate Action on SDGs

August 21, 2019

Global Reporting Initiative (“GRI”), an organization “that helps businesses, governments and other organisations understand and communicate their sustainability impacts” continues to collaborate with the United Nations and NGOs to increase SDG compliance reporting.