Carleton’s Board of Governors voted against signing the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) April 26 after a board member introduced the motion, according to Jason MacDonald, Carleton’s director of university communications.
The motion was that “Carleton University become a signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and this as soon as possible," according to a press release from the board.
“After much discussion, the board voted against the motion. The pension committee has already adopted a responsible investing policy that follows the principles of the UNPRI,” MacDonald said in an e-mail.
MacDonald declined to comment on whether the motion was related to Students Against Israeli Apartheid’s divestment campaign, which calls for the removal of several million dollars of the board’s pension fund from companies SAIA argues are linked to the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
Signatories of the UNPRI are required to address and follow several “environmental, social, and corporate governance” issues, according to the UNPRI website. Some of these issues are related to human rights and environmental impact.
Among other requirements, signatories must also report their progress and activities in maintaining the outlined issues to the governing body of the UNPRI. The UNPRI currently has 893 signatories, according to their website.
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