31 October 2008, 0830-1200 | Law Society, 113 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1PL

Just over two years after the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) were launched by the UN Secretary-General in New York, the initiative has garnered the support of over 400 institutions representing more than US$ 15 trillion in assets. The PRI, an investor initiative in partnership with UNEP FI and the UN Global Compact, was designed to align the goals of the institutional investor and sustainable development objectives of the United Nations, and has clearly succeeded in drawing support among the investment community. But as signatories to a voluntary and aspirational scheme, what can asset owners and asset managers do in concrete terms to promote the main goal of the PRI: to embed the idea of sustainability into investment management and encourage better corporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices? To address these key issues, EIRIS is hosting an event that will include leading speakers in this field:

  • Donald MacDonald, Chair of the PRI
  • Georg Kell, Executive Director of the UN Global Compact
  • James Gifford, Executive Director of the PRI
  • Colin Melvin, Chief Executive Officer of Hermes Equity Ownership Services Ltd.

EIRIS fully supports the PRI initiative and sees it as one of the most important developments in the field of responsible investment in the last 25 years. During this seminar, EIRIS will be presenting the key findings from its 2008 report on the State of CSR, looking in particular at how well companies are reporting on key ESG questions, an issue highlighted in Principle 3 of the PRI. EIRIS will be introducing its PRI toolkit designed to help signatories integrate ESG data into their analysis process, identify priorities and goals for engagement, and monitor companies’ reporting practices. The seminar is free of charge but space is limited. To register for the event, please contact Andrew Jones on +44 20 7840 5719 or at andrew.jones@eiris.org.