Information Is Power, But Who Decides How Much We (or They) Have a Right to Know?

An open consultation took place at today’s Forum, as the UN Working Group prepares a report for June next year on how to align Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) approaches in the financial sector with the UN Guiding Principles. Speakers called on investors to themselves use a rightsholder lens in undertaking ESG assessments, to be prepared to directly consult with stakeholders and to ensure effective remedy for human-rights abuses in their portfolios. Anita Dorett from the Investor Alliance for Human Rights described the “deep level of analytical thought” being applied to the work. If investor analyst skills and competencies are applied to corporate human-rights due diligence, this will indeed be a positive step forward.