The second Zug Faith in Finance starts this weekend. A new organisation will be announced.
September 14, 2018:
Zug procession 2017
Religious investors and religious organisations representing many billions of investment dollars are meeting this weekend in Zug, Switzerland. The meetings will announce the details of a new organisation called FaithInvest which could change the face of religious investment, and perhaps all investment.
FaithInvest is being brought into existence by a new partnership between religious investment groups from eight major religions, joining with the United Nations, major banks, ethical/impact investment groups and philanthropies. Its purpose is to help the faiths and philanthropies, which manage trillions of dollars in investments, to go beyond negative screening of investments and become potentially the largest investing force supporting environmental and sustainable development initiatives.
The notion of FaithInvest was first discussed at this level at a meeting last November, when financial investors and leaders of more than 30 different faith traditions (representing over 500 faith investment groups from eight religions and around three trillion dollars in assets) met from October 30 to November 1, 2017, for the first Zug Faith in Finance meeting.
Also attending were representatives of the UN, faith leaders and some key ethical impact investment funds.
"Last year 30 major faith investment groups created guidelines for how they wanted their religious values to shine through how they invested their pension funds and other funds. This year others will launch their guidelines," said ARC's Martin Palmer who is part of the development team behind FaithInvest.
"We've seen already how having a clear vision and clear values-driven rules, has really clarified how religious funds are invested in effective ways.
The meeting takes places at the beautiful Lassalle-Haus
"The UN's Sustainable Development Goals have been really helpful for anyone with investments, however big or small, who would like the money to be used for the good, while it is also increasing in value. The goals have clarified what kind of world we might want to see in the future, and how we want our money, our pensions, our savings to work behind the scenes to make that happen."
The meeting takes place at Lassalle-Haus in the hills above Zug. Then on Monday afternoon delegates will join the annual Swiss Impact Investment Association meeting - a tremendous atmosphere - in the town.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
On September 25, 2015, 193 world leaders committed to 17 Global Goals to achieve three extraordinary things by 2030:
End extreme poverty.
Fight inequality & injustice.
Fix climate change.
Here is a thoughtful, meditative short film from the first Zug meeting in 2017 which started with good will and the interest in change, and ended with well-being and the determination to make changes.
August 15, 2018: The Economist features FaithInvest In its obituary story about Tessa Tennant, doyenne of ethical impact investment, who so sadly died last month, The Economist's Erasmus column leads on FaithInvest
July 19, 2018: The road from Zug 2017 to the creation of FaithInvest From an extraordinary, powerful meeting ARC cohosted in Zug, Switzerland in November 2017, bringing together some of the largest religious investors, a new faith-consistent investment alliance is emerging.
It is called FaithInvest. It might change the world. It is certainly one of the most important initiatives ARC has ever been involved with.
