Work Streams

Principles for Responsible Investment

For updated information please visit the Principles for Responsible Investment website.

The Principles for Responsible Investment process is an effort to identify and act on the common ground between the goals of institutional investors and the sustainable development objectives of the United Nations. The audience is global, but the focus is on the eleven largest capital markets, with a goal of protecting the long term interests of fund beneficiaries.

Developing the Principles for Responsible Investment

In early 2005 the UN Secretary-General invited a group of the world's largest institutional investors to join a process to develop the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Individuals representing 20 institutional investors from 12 countries agreed to participate in the Investor Group. The Group accepted ownership of the Principles, and had the freedom to develop them as they saw fit.

The Group was supported by a 70-person multi-stakeholder group of experts from the investment industry, intergovernmental and governmental organizations, civil society and academia. The process, conducted between April 2005 and January 2006 involved a total of five days of face-to-face deliberations by the investors and four days by the experts, with hundreds of hours of follow-up activity. The Principles for Responsible Investment emerged as a result of these meetings.

The process was coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) and the UN Global Compact. The PRI reflects the core values of the group of large investors whose investment horizon is generally long, and whose portfolios are often highly diversified. However, the Principles are open to all institutional investors, investment managers and professional service partners to support.

Following the launch of the Principles, Phase 2 of the process will promote adoption of the Principles by additional investors, provide comprehensive resources to assist investors in implementing the Principles and actions, and facilitate collaboration among signatories.

This public-private partnership represents an important step towards fulfilment of the Principles of the UN Global Compact, the Millennium Development Goals and the objectives of the World Summit for Sustainable Development.

Contact

PRI Secretariat
Email: info@unpri.org

Further information

• Visit the Principles for Responsible Investment website.
• Learn more about UNEP FI's work on the materiality of environmental, social, and governance issues.
• Learn more about UNEP FI's work on investment.