Legal & General Investment Management, Federated Hermes, Aviva Investors, BMO Global Asset Management, Robeco, and Achmea Investment Management among list of signatories

A group of 101 international investors representing over US$4.2 trillion in assets under management have joined forces to call on governments to put in place regulatory measures requiring companies to conduct ongoing risk management regarding risks to people associated with their business activities...

The statement, coordinated by the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, makes the ‘investor case’ for regulatory measures that facilitate corporate accountability for human rights harms...

The investor statement [...] demonstrates that responsible investors around the globe are increasingly coalescing around the need to ensure that companies integrate respect for human rights at the heart of their business. 

“The current pandemic has exposed the harm and suffering created by companies’ lack of human rights due diligence. The harm is felt especially by the millions of women and migrant workers dismissed and abandoned at the bottom of supply chains. Results are showing that responsible companies perform better in the pandemic – for their workers and suppliers as well as for their investors. The investor voice is now critical to persuade governments to set human rights due diligence as a minimum floor of corporate behavior. Both sustainable economic recovery post-COVID-19 and the future credibility of global markets to deliver shared prosperity depend on it,” said Phil Bloomer...