Freshfields appointed by United Nations to produce pioneering sustainability report
David Rouch
Juliane Hilf
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP ('Freshfields') has been appointed by the Principles for Responsible Investment ('PRI'), United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative ('UNEPFI') and The Generation Foundation to produce a global report exploring whether and how legal frameworks allow for - and incentivise – investors to consider sustainability impact across major markets.
The Paris Climate Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals have ramped up investor awareness about global sustainability challenges, with investors increasingly thinking about sustainability impact, such as decarbonisation targets.
The report is due to be published in the second half of 2020 and will build on the 2005 report produced by Freshfields for the United Nations, which focused on integrating environmental, social and corporate governance issues into institutional investment.
The jurisdictions covered in the 2020 report will be the EU, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, South Africa, Netherlands, UK and US.
The multi-jurisdictional Freshfields team producing this new report is being led by partners David Rouch and Juliane Hilf, both of whom worked on the 2005 report for United Nations and are closely engaged in this topic. They are being supported by partner Tim Wilkins, who was appointed as global sustainability partner at Freshfields in June 2019.
David Rouch commented: "Climate change, waste, resource scarcity and inequality are placing a significant and growing strain on societies around the world. The need to address them is urgent, and effective allocation of investment is a key way in which individuals and businesses can do so. We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to work on this exciting project and to build on our 2005 report for the United Nations."
Tim Wilkins added: "This new report is one of a series of initiatives that Freshfields is involved in as part of its drive to help organisations around the world manage the risks and opportunities around sustainability. The research will be crucial in helping to open up impact investing and in supporting investors that are striving to incorporate sustainability into their practices."
About Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
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