UN Principles for Responsible Investment Boasts 800 Signatories

(September 7, 2010) — The United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment now has more than 800 signatories.

“Reaching 800 signatories with more than $20 trilion in assets after four years is a great achievement for the PRI,” the UN PRI’s Executive Director James Gifford told the Responsible Investor. “The PRI is now seen as an emerging norm in many parts of the investment industry. Client pressure from the PRI’s asset owner signatories is certainly a key factor driving the PRI’s growth in signatories. But it is also driven by the natural growth of responsible investment, and other initiatives such as Ceres and Carbon Disclosure Project are also growing strongly.”

Gifford added that the PRI is “under no illusions” about how much is needed before current best practice is implemented “across asset classes and in all major capital markets around the world.”

The principles were launched by then U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan at the New York Stock Exchange in April 2006. Of the UNPRI’s total of 803 signatories, 208 are asset owners, 440 are investment managers and 155 are service providers, according to the latest figures on its website.