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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.
Stewardship and engagement will become an integral part of investment in the future, and asset owners need to write stewardship and non-financial objectives into their mandates with managers, according to Saker Nusseibeh, chief executive international of Federated Hermes.
Climate Action 100+ illustrates asset owners’ ability to come together to solve the tragedy of the commons, said Anne Simpson, managing investment director, board governance and sustainability at US pension giant CalPERS. She said once investors realise that risk and return comes from managing financial, human and natural capital then ESG became a fundamental part of investing.
Shardul Agrawala, head, environment and economy integration division at the OECD laid out the challenges and opportunities for governments to build back better. He highlighted the industries and that may undergo transformation and the underlying market failures that need fixing.
There is moment driven by the COVID-19 crisis to invest in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, according to chief executive of Robeco, Gilbert van Hassel. But investing in companies of the future, and avoiding risks of the past, requires real expertise and changing mindsets about investment poses one of the biggest challenge for investors.
Nigel Topping, Champion of COP26, says institutional investors should put their fund managers on notice to provide more net zero products. He was speaking at the Top1000funds.com Sustainability conference in a session detailing how asset owners can move towards net zero.
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