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In This Issue
Editor's Note
Calling All Companies: HIV/AIDS and Human Rights
On the eve of World AIDS Day (December 1) and Human Rights Day (December 10), this week's feature explores the connection between these issues, and the role for business in addressing them together.
We also look at recommendations regarding forthcoming rules governing the disclosure of conflict minerals in products, and offer you a chance to review them or sign on.
Finally, we report on the recent SRI in the Rockies conference and one speaker's comments on the importance of sustainable investing in emerging markets.
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In Depth
Universal Access to HIV Services: A Promise Yet to Be Realized
By Mark Little, Director, Healthcare, Advisory Services, BSR
More than 20 years after the first World AIDS Day on December 1, 1988, the theme for this year's observance—"Universal Access and Human Rights"—is a sobering reminder of the challenges that characterize the fight against this epidemic.
Read more →
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Spotlight
Coalition Provides U.S. SEC With Recommendations on Conflict Minerals
By Marshall Chase, Associate Director, Advisory Services, BSR
A group of NGOs, investors, and companies—facilitated by BSR and led by AMD, the Enough Project, and As You Sow—has developed recommendations to guide the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) pending rulemaking on conflict minerals (defined as tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This rulemaking, mandated by the U.S. financial reform legislation passed in July, will require U.S.-listed companies to report if their products contain conflict minerals, which are so named because of the role of armed groups in mining and taxing their trade.
The final recommendations include guidance on:
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What constitutes a reliable supply chain due diligence process, including a company policy and risk-assessment procedures.
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Third-party auditing efforts, including identification of the mine of origin and documentation of payments to ensure that supply chains are DRC conflict mineral free.
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What companies should publicly disclose under different contexts. For example, what information a company with no, or minimal amounts of, conflict minerals in its supply chains should report.
To review the recommendations or to sign on, please contact Sasha Radovich.
For more information on conflict minerals, read our summary of the BSR Conference session on the topic and Marshall Chase's recent article on the Huffington Post.
On the Record
SRI in the Rockies…and in Emerging Markets
By
The SRI in the Rockies annual conference is one of the largest gatherings in North America for the socially responsible investment community. At the recent conference in San Antonio, Texas, more than 600 people, including asset owners, asset managers, financial advisors, ESG researchers, individual investors, and representatives of indices, corporations, and NGOs discussed directing the flow of investment capital to catalyze a shift to a more sustainable global economy.
During a discussion on investments in emerging markets, participants agreed that emerging markets are becoming engines of economic growth. Geeta Aiyer, President and Founder of Boston Common Asset Management, discussed the role of investors in ensuring sustainable growth:
"The historic transformation is currently underway. As investors, we should urge our investees in emerging markets to be favorable to sustainability in the countries where they operate. It is essential to business and also to the future of the planet."
—Geeta Aiyer, President and Founder, Boston Common Asset Management
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Two weeks ago, I attended the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as an "expert observer" (as opposed to "delegate"), representing BSR at the GFMD Civil Society Days. These two and a half days were set aside for representatives from civil society organizations to discuss the challenges of migration and its impact on development outcomes.