UNCTAD World Investment Forum is proud to host the ICGN Governance of Sustainability Dialogue, in partnership with the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative. We are delighted to assemble these influential networks for two days of discussion and debate focused on global sustainability issues and risk management to develop long-term strategies, reporting and cooperation.
Plenary 6: Governance of sustainability: mandatory and voluntary drivers
Earlier this year, the European Commission concluded a far-reaching consultation on the EU company law framework to promote sustainable corporate governance and company law, and in March the European Parliament announced plans for a new binding law that ensures companies are held accountable and liable when they harm – or contribute to harming – human rights, the environment and good governance. The ICGN’s Global Governance Principles emphasise that directors have a legal duty to act on an informed basis, with good faith, care and loyalty to promote the long-term best interests of the company to preserve and enhance sustainable value creation. How do mandatory and voluntary requirements harmonize for best effect? What does this mean in practice for company boards and investors alike?
Plenary 7: Optimizing sustainability ratings and ESG data
The deployment of assets by investors into sustainable index funds reached a record of near $1.7 trillion in 2020, up from 50% over the previous year according to Morningstar. This drives capital to those companies most willing and able to embrace the intangible drivers of value – human and natural capital – as well as tangible financial factors. This transition towards sustainable investments is facilitated by increasingly sophisticated ESG indices and sustainability investment funds. This session will discuss what ESG data and disclosures investors find most clear and useful, and how stakeholders are navigating this space.
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