Purpose: Report to be presented to the 56th session of the Human Rights Council in June 2024 ...

An issue of particular relevance to the UNGPs is that financial institutions are increasingly including an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) approach (albeit with diverse indicators) in determining their decision-making on investments...

The report aims to provide practical guidance to States, businesses, especially financial institutions of all types, civil society and other stakeholders on how to align better ESG approaches with the UNGPs in the context of financial products and services...

Against this background, the report will focus on an analysis of ESG financial products and services (e.g., ESG funds, green bonds, sustainability-linked loans), and the associated standards, frameworks, policies, and practices from a human rights perspective, highlighting emerging practices and opportunities for improvement.

In terms of the financial actors covered, the report will include commercial and investment banks, institutional investors, including asset owners, such as pension funds, and asset managers; and funds, including mutual funds, private equity, social investment and venture capital funds. For the purposes of this questionnaire, the term “investors” will be used to include all these financial institutions. The report does not cover multilateral or national development finance institutions, insurance companies or fintech.

The recommendations offered in this report will be targeted to States, financial actors and other relevant stakeholders, and will address the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities that financial regulations, policies and practices offer to move towards a sustainable finance framework centred on a human rights approach. They will build on existing regional and global developments in the field.

The Working Group seeks the written input of all stakeholders, including States, international organisations, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations, research centres, policy makers, academia, lawyers, law firms, arbitrators, trade unions, human rights defenders, and Indigenous Peoples and other rights holders, and industry associations, as well as businesses of all kinds, including public and private financial institutions, institutional investors (asset owners and managers) as shareholders, and all types of investors.

Please feel free to respond to all or selected questions as per expertise, relevance or focus of work.

Questions

General

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State duty to protect human rights

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Corporate responsibility to respect human rights

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Access to remedy

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