Responsible Investment Association’s Post

How to act and move forward on human rights as an investor? Today we will host a webinar with some excellent practitioners, including Pensioenfonds Detailhandels Louise Kranenburg, to discuss market trends, insights best practice and UN recommendations for improved implementation of respect for human rights. During the webinar we will also hear from the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and their latest insights on investor action and how investors are aligning to the UNGPs. Sign up below and get a quick download on human rights and the relevance for institutional investors.

Canadians are obligated to respect human rights in Canada and around the world. In the article below, Emil Sirén Gualinga and I write about elevated human rights risks to Indigenous Peoples in Latin America and what investors can do to fulfill their human rights due diligence responsibilities across all regions under evolving regulatory and stakeholder expectations. #hrdd #ungps #undrip #fpic #humanrights #IndigenousPeoplesrights https://lnkd.in/g3Uqu38i

This shows the importance of ESG for sustainability. Human rights abuses is part of the social considerations in ESG in terms of human rights for both the workers, the community and contractors. This is a huge loss for Delmonte

The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights' report on Investors, #ESG and Human Rights was presented to the UN Human Rights Council last week. The report highlights the roles of investors using #ESG and #sustainability approaches in relation to their responsibilities under the #UNGPs. 💻 Find more here: https://lnkd.in/eEqAbxP2 ➡ Main recommendations for #investors: (b) Embed human rights in their ESG, and sustainability, policies and strategies, with senior-level oversight; (c) Identify and assess actual and potential human rights impacts prior to investing and on an ongoing basis once invested, (d) Prioritize meaningful stakeholder engagement (e) Ensure that heightened human rights due diligence has been undertaken for investments in conflict-affected areas and high-risk sectors (f) Use leverage through investment decisions, stewardship of investees, and engagement with policymakers to ensure respect for human rights   (g) Divest responsibly, using human rights due diligence, when leverage cannot change investee practices (h) Track the effectiveness of human rights due diligence efforts (j) Ensure better articulation of the interconnected nature of the environmental, social and governance criteria so that human rights considerations are integrated across those criteria in investment strategies (k) As part of a sustainability management system, invest in capacity-building and human rights education, and undertake research and peer-learning to share good practices to ensure that boards, management and workers have training in human rights and the capacity to integrate human rights into investment decisions and to ensure wider alignment of investor actions with the Guiding Principles (l) Press strongly, both individually and collectively, for improved, coherent and standardized data on human rights, and the use of research methodologies aligned with the Guiding Principles by commercial data providers and proxy voting agencies. #bizhumanrights

This week, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights presented a report urging investors to integrate human rights considerations into their ESG and sustainability approaches, to align them with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. 👉 "Investors must place risks for people and the planet at the center of their decision-making." -- Robert McCorquodale, Chairperson of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights #bizhumanrights #esg #responsibleinvestment #humanrights https://lnkd.in/g4__SkPP

In the last year alone, we've increased responsible sourcing spending for local, small, and medium-sized enterprises by $8.4 million, demonstrating our commitment to catalyzing meaningful change and leaving a positive impact on the communities we serve. Our Better Tomorrow & Indigenous Reconciliation Report is here, spotlighting our nationwide achievements and reinforcing our commitment to transparency with our valued stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility isn't just a strategy for us; it's ingrained in our identity. Read more about the progress we've made in the past year > https://ow.ly/1Jvm30sByjW #BetterTomorrow #CSR #DEI

📈 Measures to upscale the social economy, including social enterprises’ pioneering work in the circular economy, contribute to the fulfilment of rights that the European Pillar of Social Rights recognises as essential for fair and well-functioning labour markets and social protection systems. 🔄 👉 Such measures would reinforce socially and environmentally driven actors to implement a Green Social Deal. 🌱 Read about our key priorities for unlocking the potential of social enterprises in our Manifesto 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gWqvAyTw #socialeconomy #socialenterprises #circulareconomy #socialandcircular #secondhandfirst #greendeal #europeanunion

Corporate participation in political activities is a vital component of the democratic process. However, a lack of transparency can lead to undue influence. Our #SocialBenchmark2024 shows that only 11% of the world’s 2,000 most influential companies have a policy that publicly sets out its lobbying and political engagement approach. Furthermore, 5% of companies disclose data on lobbying expenditures. With an unprecedented 4 billion people worldwide eligible to vote in 2024, a better understanding of these companies' political influence is more crucial than ever for a healthy democracy. Together, they generate a whopping USD 45 trillion in yearly revenue each year. Their lobbying efforts can therefore either drive or hinder sustainable development. To maintain credibility, companies must ensure that their publicly stated social sustainability strategies are coherent with their lobbying activities behind the scenes. Dive deeper into the findings of our #SocialBenchmark2024: https://bit.ly/SocialBM24    #transparency #ESG #SDGs #lobbying #corporateresponsibility

Interesting on lobbying and transparency.

👉 "Investors must place identifying and acting on risks for people and the planet at the centre of their decision-making to fulfil their responsibility to respect human rights, according to the UN Working Group [on Business and Human Rights] report. This could be done by, for example, embedding human rights into investment policies and strategies, undertaking ongoing human rights due diligence and remediating any adverse human rights impacts caused." -- Robert McCorquodale hashtag #esg #bizhumanrights #responsibleinvestment #rightswashing #hrdd https://lnkd.in/eAn2GURv