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September 2020 marks the fifth anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals which have become a roadmap for investors to engage in the bold ambition of transforming the world while leaving no one behind. This session looked at the ambition of the SDGs and spurs investors into action.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Gilbert%20van%20Hassel%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20executive%2C%20Robeco%20(The%20Netherlands)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Gilbert%20Van%20Hassel%20has%20been%20chief%20executive%20and%20chair%20of%20the%20executive%20committee%20of%20Robeco%20since%20September%202016.%5CnHe%20has%20over%2030%20years%E2%80%99%20experience%20in%20the%20financial%20services%20industry%2C%20mainly%20in%20asset%20and%20wealth%20management%2C%20with%20broad%20experience%20in%20Europe%2C%20Asia%20and%20the%20US.%20Until%202013%20he%20was%20global%20CEO%20ING%20Investment%20Management%20and%20member%20of%20the%20board%20Insurance%20and%20Asset%20Management%20of%20ING.%20Before%20joining%20ING%20in%202007%2C%20he%20worked%20for%20JP%20Morgan%20where%20he%20held%20various%20executive%20positions%20in%20Europe%2C%20Asia%20and%20the%20US.%5CnVan%20Hassel%20has%20a%20Bachelor%E2%80%99s%20degree%20in%20Applied%20Economics%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Antwerp%20St%20Ignatius%20(Belgium)%2C%20an%20MBA%2C%20with%20a%20major%20in%20International%20Finance%20from%20the%20Catholic%20University%20of%20Louvain%20(Belgium)%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Science%20in%20Finance%20from%20Purdue%20University%20(US).%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233530%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22%22%7D%5D” title=”Speaker” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Amanda%20White%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22director%2C%20institutional%20content%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22White%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20content%20across%20all%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20institutional%20media%20and%20events.%20She%20is%20responsible%20for%20directing%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium%20which%20challenges%20global%20investors%20on%20investment%20best%20practice%20and%20aims%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%20retirement%20incomes.%20She%20is%20the%20editor%20of%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com%2C%20the%20online%20news%20and%20analysis%20site%20for%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20largest%20institutional%20investors.%20White%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20journalist%20for%20more%20than%2020%20years%20and%20has%20edited%20industry%20journals%20including%20Investment%20%26%20Technology%2C%20Investor%20Weekly%20and%20MasterFunds%20Quarterly.%20She%20was%20previously%20editorial%20director%20of%20InvestorInfo%20and%20has%20worked%20as%20a%20freelance%20journalist%20for%20the%20Australian%20Financial%20Review%2C%20CFO%2C%20Asset%20and%20Asia%20Asset%20Management.%20She%20has%20a%20Bachelor%20of%20Economics%20from%20Sydney%20University%20and%20a%20Master%20of%20Arts%20in%20Journalism%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Technology%2C%20Sydney.%20She%20was%20previously%20a%20columnist%20for%20the%20Canadian%20publication%2C%20Corporate%20Knights%2C%20which%20is%20distributed%20by%20the%20Globe%20and%20Mail%20and%20The%20Washington%20Post.%20White%20is%20currently%20a%20fellow%20in%20the%20Finance%20Leaders%20Fellowship%20at%20the%20Aspen%20Institute.%20The%20two-year%20program%20consists%20of%2022%20fellows%20and%20seeks%20to%20develop%20the%20next%20generation%20of%20responsible%2C%20community-spirited%20leaders%20in%20the%20global%20finance%20industry.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2233531%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Famanda-white-101a7515%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dau%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
We need to take bigger and bolder actions towards a more sustainable future.
The SDGs provide the perfect all-encompassing blueprint for economic development.
The SDGs do not discriminate. They apply to all countries equally regardless of wealth.
USD$2.5 trillion need to be invested into the SDGs each year if they are to be achieved.
Urgent action is required – 1 million species are currently threatened by extinction.
Let us not be pessimistic. There are many silver linings, for example 20 per cent of all the world’s energy production comes from renewables, 70 per cent of the world’s ocean is now protected and 70 per cent of corporations have now placed SDGs into their goals and communications. I am optimistic about the potential for a sustainable recovery and a sustainable future.
We need more legislation, not less.
ESG and SDGs are complex, so therefore we need to ensure we understand them and their interconnectivity better, not least because solving one could negatively impact another.
As investors, we need to make our money speak through active engagement to ensure companies exhibit the right behaviours. Engagement requires care, consideration and collaboration.
The biggest challenge for investors is the requirement for a material shift in mindset – wellbeing maximisation must be considered alongside wealth maximisation.
We don’t have the luxury of picking and choosing which SDGs to tackle. We must solve them all.
Over the past 5 years we have made a lot of progress but we need a lot more action. We have to walk the talk. Each individual investor needs to set their own goals and contribute to a better world.
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Poll results
Do you think the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the need to address the SDGs?[vc_line_chart x_values=”” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Yes%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2274%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22blue%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22No%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2213%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22pink%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Not%20sure%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2213%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22chino%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2300c1cf%22%7D%5D”]
One of the most important, upcoming challenges at CalSTRS is how the fund should evaluate Chinese investments from a human capital and environmental standpoint, says Chris Ailman, chief investment officer at the giant pension fund.
Princeton University Professor of International Affairs, Stephen Kotkin explains why large global investors and multinationals can lead on sustainability but national governments fail.
Integrating the SDGs involves analysing investee companies' core business, the products and services they sell, and mapping that to the SDGs. Two investors, APG and Schroders, outline the indepth process.
In an intimate case study this session at the Sustainability conference profiles the relationship between Robeco and CocaCola and how investor engagement has helped prioritise sustainability issues and drive long-term growth through a focus on the circular economy.
International negotiations like the Paris Agreement no longer work. The world needs a new framework supporting a carbon tax with both carrots and sticks to encourage participation, says William Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics, Yale University and 2018 Nobel Prize winner in Economics.
In a rare insight into the portfolio construction process at Bridgewater, the head of investment research, Karen Karniol-Tambour discusses how to shift from only looking at risk and return to adopting a three-dimensional model that incorporates impact.
The Ford Foundation outlines its ability to achieve impact and returns and announces plans to invest for impact in public markets in the next 18 months. Elsewhere, renown impact investor Pictet Asset Management explains how impact investment is becoming more mainstream.
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