The 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 74) opens on September 17. All members of the United Nations are represented in this international forum to discuss and work together on a wide array of global issues such as development, peace and security, and international law among many others.
In light of the UNGA meeting, United Church Funds is pleased to share some of the work we have accomplished to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were established in 2015 to guide the international community in common pursuit of solving the world’s problems. UCF has contributed to the positive outcomes of several global goals using our core socially responsible investing strategies of engagement, asset alignment and innovative product offerings.
Building a Deeper Commitment to Social Impact
UCF is proud to introduce the Just World Fund (the ‘Fund’), a fixed income fund that operates on the principle that equitable global and domestic development is an investable asset. We created the Fund in response to the demand from faith-based investors for ways to make a positive impact on people and communities in emerging and developing economies. The Fund will address global economic justice, fair and adequate housing, the human right to water and nutrition, and environmental security. Learn more about the Fund.
Health Care Access
UCF continues its work from 2018 to evaluate pharmaceutical drug price increases in the context of access to health care. UCF views these increases as inhumane and destabilizing. As a means to combat these unsustainable prices, UCF filed shareholder resolutions with several pharma companies seeking proper alignment of executive incentive rewards. UCF is also proud to be a lead filer in the effort to enforce governance improvements that tighten board control over risk oversight with regards to opioid-related fatalities. Learn more about our work.
Climate Change Concerns
United Church Funds continues its work to address fossil fuels investments and providing our stakeholders with options for investing without fossil fuels exposure. In addition, in 2018, UCF joined Climate Action 100+, a joint initiative of Ceres, the foremost climate-concerned investor network, the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (of which UCF is a signatory) and several other investor coalitions. The initiative seeks to organize investors into engagement with carbon-emitting corporations.
Immigration and Refugees
UCF is a member of the Investor Alliance for Human Rights (IAHR) and an active participant in engaging the first two focus sectors of IAHR—the banking and the technology industries. There are many companies in these sectors that are contracted to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which have aided in the detention of asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border. Policies to indefinitely detain asylum seekers and imprison children violate international human rights conventions and international law. UCF is among the lead filers working on this issue.
As a financial ministry of the United Church of Christ (UCC), UCF is investing on behalf of churches and institutions of the UCC. With the mission of “Investing for a Just World for All,” UCF works to make the corporations in which we invest more sustainable and less harmful to communities and creation.