From April 17, 2020, EIRIS Conflict Risk Network (EIRIS CRN) will operate under the EIRIS Foundation, a UK-registered charity with over 30 years of experience working to increase the impact of responsible investment. The Foundation’s mission is to use research, analysis, and its influence to identify gaps, barriers, opportunities, and enablers to help organizations and individuals maximize their contribution to responsible business and investment.
EIRIS Conflict Risk Network (CRN) includes institutional investors, financial service providers and related stakeholders that are calling on corporate actors to fulfill their responsibility to respect human rights and to take steps that support peace and stability in areas affected by genocide and mass atrocities. Its goal is to increase such behavior by corporate actors, and thereby reduce conflict risk. The Network’s membership encompasses pension funds, some of the world’s largest asset management firms, government entities, university endowments, foundations, financial service providers and socially responsible investment firms
Taking advantage of its new relationship with the EIRIS Foundation, EIRIS CRN has already begun to explore new research developments, with the intention of offering its member-subscribers novel tools, alongside the continued delivery of the Sudan Company Report in the near future.
The aim will be to build on the expert analysis and engagement support that member subscribers have valued in the existing Sudan Service in ways that provide the same degree of confidence when addressing other conflict risks as they arise. We want to offer the same diverse coalition of users the opportunity to encourage corporate decisions and actions that support peace and stability in other conflict settings, without necessarily resorting to divestment. Whether that is large investors driven by legislative requirement or seeking to act ahead of what might become future requirements, or whether it is funds or fund managers who want to engage companies to reduce conflict risk in their portfolios as part of their investment strategies on their own account or in response to their clients’ concerns.
If you would have the time and would be interested in sharing your views and experiences, or would be happy to join discussion sessions about developing the product, please do not hesitate to contact the CRN Team via email: [email protected]
Stakeholder insights on EIRIS Conflict Risk Network
Peter Webster, CEO of the EIRIS Foundation & EIRIS CRN:
“EIRIS CRN has helped to maintain an investor focus on peace and security in Sudan for many years and we are delighted to be able to support the continuation of that work and to look for ways in which the same expertise and experience can be applied to other conflict settings. We were first involved with CRN when it was transferred to EIRIS from United to End Genocide in 2013 before the merger that created Vigeo Eiris in 2015. We are pleased to have agreed with Vigeo Eiris that the EIRIS Foundation will take responsibility for EIRIS CRN once more.“
Adam Sterling, Executive Director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Business at Berkeley Law and chair of the EIRIS CRN Advisory Board:
“The Advisory Board welcomes this development and looks forward to working with the EIRIS Foundation to develop what EIRIS CRN can offer. There will be new ways to approach the growing challenges of Conflict Risk in future and the experience of responding to the conflict in Sudan provides a number of useful insights as to how investors can maximize their impact.”