News

The 2023 proxy season is now underway, with both companies and investors alike gearing up for a busy few months full of meetings and voting. Here are six types of shareholder proposals that are set to make waves in the coming season.

The OECD is consulting on changes to guidelines for multinational enterprises, with investors demanding greater protection for defenders and more focus on value chains. Investors have welcomed the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) planned update to its Guidelines for...

IAHR members highlight “growing anxiety” on human and civil rights risks emerging through the misuse of artificial intelligence. A group of 149 investors has called for a series of enhancements to the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act to create an environment with “parameters that incentivise...

A group of 149 global investors representing over US$1.6T in assets issues a statement to EU bodies tasked with developing a regulatory framework for safe AI development and use. NEW YORK, NY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH, 2023 – Citing the need for ongoing human rights due diligence to regulate the...

Asset owners slate 15 proposals on issues including opaque algorithms and privacy rights, amid ongoing concerns over voting limits imposed by dual class share structures. Members of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights (IAHR) have announced a series of proposals filed for the 2023 proxy of big...

NEW YORK NY, TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 ST, 2023 - Members of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights who have been engaging leading tech companies on their human/digital rights risks today announced they had filed a series of proposals for the 2023 proxies of Alphabet ($GOOGL), Amazon ($AMZN) and Meta (...

Blog post by Richard Gardiner, EU Public Policy Lead, World Benchmarking Alliance On the first of December, EU economic ministers met to discuss the position of the European Council on the proposed EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence directive (CSDDD). This law seeks to create a legal...

As environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues factor into more investment decisions, critics say one element is often overlooked: the human rights records of businesses. Read the full article on the Globe and Mail.

PRESS RELEASE INVESTORS HEARTENED BY RESULTS OF 2022 CHRB ASSESSMENT INDICATING SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS BY COMPANIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS Latest scores from the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark (CHRB) tie corporate human rights performance to needed regulatory frameworks, robust board oversight, and...

With child and teen mental health and digital media in the spotlight, should this be a fresh consideration for those building ethical portfolios? Read more on Money Management

Amazon is set to be excluded by Storebrand Asset Management from its Swedish funds over allegedly unfair business practices. Read more on Responsible Investor.com

As the EU works on rules to protect worker rights and the planet from corporate harm, Open Society’s Jon Jacoby spoke to Anita Dorett, of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, about how investors are pushing for change. Read more on OpenSocietyFoundation.org

By Marwa Fatafta and Laura Okkonen, Access Now On January 24, 2022, the name Rana Ayyub , an Indian woman journalist and Washington Post columnist, started trending on Twitter. She had posted in solidarity with Yemen, calling out the Saudi-led coalition ravaging war on the country. Then the abuse...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is leading to a rapid reappraisal of ESG risks by asset owners, including enhanced scrutiny of human rights and governance risks across portfolios, and a reaffirmed commitment to net zero targets. Investors and corporates are facing practical, legal and liquidity...

Businesses and shareholders in companies doing business with Russian counterparts are being encouraged by an investor alliance to review possible connections to humanitarian and human rights violations being committed by Russia’s military forces in Ukraine and to consider divesting if such links are...

EFAMA and Eurosif, along with non-profits including Finance Watch and ShareAction, have called on Members of the European Parliament to broaden the scope of EU corporate sustainability reporting legislation. Their letter to MEPs comes as various committees in the European Parliament will in the...