Tuesday, April 29, 2008
[IWS] Mercer/IFC: RATINGS on SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS in EMERGING MARKETS [28 April 2008]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Mercer & International Finance Corporation (IFC)
See--
RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT
http://www.mercer.com/ri
Press Release
Mercer and IFC to deliver first 'sustainability rating' for emerging market investments
http://www.mercer.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1305005
UK
London, 28 April 2008
For the first time fund managers in emerging markets will be rated based on their capacity to incorporate environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into their investment decisions as part of a major new research initiative commissioned by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector branch of the World Bank Group.
To determine the ratings, Mercer, who have been appointed by the IFC to conduct the study, has commenced interviews with 50 managers based in the emerging markets of China, India, South Korea and Brazil. The research will also include a survey of over 200 managers globally, who invest in emerging markets.
Tim Gardener, global business leader of Mercer's investment consulting business said the cutting-edge research would bring a greater depth of understanding of how sustainable growth in these four countries will be.
"As demand for investment in emerging markets has grown, so too has the need for a better understanding of the environmental, social and governance forces at play in these markets and their impact on performance," he said.
The results of the interviews with managers on the ground in China, India, South Korea and Brazil will provide investors with an insight into how emerging markets are operating and the initiatives they demonstrate in regards to ESG.
Helga Birgden, Mercer's responsible investment leader, Asia Pacific, said, "The in-depth nature of this research will really bring colour to the picture of what is happening in these markets and uncover the capacity for sustainable investment.
"We believe there are probably many managers and companies already engaging in sustainable practices, but not promoting themselves as such. A key aim of the study is to ensure these practices and managers are duly recognized," said Helga.
Berit Lindholdt Lauridsen of IFC said, "Through this research, IFC wants to raise asset owners' and fund managers' awareness and understanding of sustainable investing, and aims to highlight current investors' demand for sustainable investing products.
"A joint IFC and the Economist Intelligence Unit survey shows that about 80 percent of asset owners who currently do not integrate ESG policies in their emerging market investments expect to do so over the next three years. The survey also indicates that it is difficult to find fund managers with the required capacity," said Berit.
The sustainable investing program of IFC has been working, for the past four years, on increasing the sustainability of investments in emerging markets. Through the program, IFC delivers technical and financial support to projects that help investors capture the potential for superior long-term returns in emerging markets using a sustainability approach.
Mercer has assembled a team of over 20 investment consultants and researchers, and will leverage its Global Investment Manager Database (Mercer GIMD) in each of the emerging markets to conduct the research. The findings will be made publicly available late 2008.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC's vision is that poor people have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through loan participations and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries.
For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
About Mercer
In 2004, Mercer's investment consulting business formed a specialist global Responsible Investment (RI) business unit dedicated to developing intellectual capital in this field. In this unit, Mercer works with investment fiduciaries around the world to implement RI programs and offers a range of services from policy development to manager selection and monitoring. The eleven person team has staff in New York, Toronto, London, Tokyo and Melbourne.
For more information, visit www.mercer.com/ri .
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Mercer & International Finance Corporation (IFC)
See--
RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENT
http://www.mercer.com/ri
Press Release
Mercer and IFC to deliver first 'sustainability rating' for emerging market investments
http://www.mercer.com/pressrelease/details.jhtml/dynamic/idContent/1305005
UK
London, 28 April 2008
For the first time fund managers in emerging markets will be rated based on their capacity to incorporate environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) into their investment decisions as part of a major new research initiative commissioned by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector branch of the World Bank Group.
To determine the ratings, Mercer, who have been appointed by the IFC to conduct the study, has commenced interviews with 50 managers based in the emerging markets of China, India, South Korea and Brazil. The research will also include a survey of over 200 managers globally, who invest in emerging markets.
Tim Gardener, global business leader of Mercer's investment consulting business said the cutting-edge research would bring a greater depth of understanding of how sustainable growth in these four countries will be.
"As demand for investment in emerging markets has grown, so too has the need for a better understanding of the environmental, social and governance forces at play in these markets and their impact on performance," he said.
The results of the interviews with managers on the ground in China, India, South Korea and Brazil will provide investors with an insight into how emerging markets are operating and the initiatives they demonstrate in regards to ESG.
Helga Birgden, Mercer's responsible investment leader, Asia Pacific, said, "The in-depth nature of this research will really bring colour to the picture of what is happening in these markets and uncover the capacity for sustainable investment.
"We believe there are probably many managers and companies already engaging in sustainable practices, but not promoting themselves as such. A key aim of the study is to ensure these practices and managers are duly recognized," said Helga.
Berit Lindholdt Lauridsen of IFC said, "Through this research, IFC wants to raise asset owners' and fund managers' awareness and understanding of sustainable investing, and aims to highlight current investors' demand for sustainable investing products.
"A joint IFC and the Economist Intelligence Unit survey shows that about 80 percent of asset owners who currently do not integrate ESG policies in their emerging market investments expect to do so over the next three years. The survey also indicates that it is difficult to find fund managers with the required capacity," said Berit.
The sustainable investing program of IFC has been working, for the past four years, on increasing the sustainability of investments in emerging markets. Through the program, IFC delivers technical and financial support to projects that help investors capture the potential for superior long-term returns in emerging markets using a sustainability approach.
Mercer has assembled a team of over 20 investment consultants and researchers, and will leverage its Global Investment Manager Database (Mercer GIMD) in each of the emerging markets to conduct the research. The findings will be made publicly available late 2008.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by financing private sector investment, mobilizing private capital in local and international financial markets, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. IFC's vision is that poor people have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives. In FY07, IFC committed $8.2 billion and mobilized an additional $3.9 billion through loan participations and structured finance for 299 investments in 69 developing countries. IFC also provided advisory services in 97 countries.
For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
About Mercer
In 2004, Mercer's investment consulting business formed a specialist global Responsible Investment (RI) business unit dedicated to developing intellectual capital in this field. In this unit, Mercer works with investment fiduciaries around the world to implement RI programs and offers a range of services from policy development to manager selection and monitoring. The eleven person team has staff in New York, Toronto, London, Tokyo and Melbourne.
For more information, visit www.mercer.com/ri .
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 9:10 AM
