Dear Colleagues,

The Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) is pleased to update you on several events, recent publications and projects at the Center. Please check our website for more information about these and other activities.

The New Frontiers of Sovereign Investment
This soon-to-be-released volume (Columbia University Press, forthcoming May 2017), edited by CCSI Fellow Malan Rietveld and CCSI Head of Extractive Industries Perrine Toledano, combines the insights and experience of academic economists and practitioners from several sovereign wealth funds (SWF) to survey a diverse financial landscape and to establish the challenging topical questions facing a broad range of SWFs today: Should they serve both economic development and financial returns—and how? Will responsible investment will enhance long-term returns? How can fiscal rules for SWFs be improved to meet emerging economic challenges? The book considers these questions as they apply to both long-established and newer SWFs. Featuring contributions from sovereign wealth practitioners from Alberta’s Investment Management Corporation, the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund, as well as analysis by scholars at the forefront of sovereign investment, this volume provides timely and much-needed information on these rapidly evolving institutions.

A Collaborative Approach to Human Rights Impact Assessments
CCSI, in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights and the Sciences Po Law School Clinic recently published a discussion paper on a Collaborative Approach to Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) of private sector investment projects. This discussion paper sets out a robust model for a collaborative approach to HRIAs that involves project-affected people and the company, and potentially other stakeholders, in jointly undertaking an HRIA that is considered credible by all sides and can help to address the power imbalances that often exist between companies and communities. The paper is the result of a two-year long project, supported by The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, and is based on extensive desktop research, interviews with 49 people with relevant experience, as well as a roundtable that brought together over a dozen stakeholders and HRIA experts to provide feedback on the research findings and recommendations. The discussion paper is also summarized in this briefing note.

Logging, Mining, and Agricultural Concessions Data Transparency
The World Resources Initiative recently published a working paper on Logging, Mining, and Agricultural Concessions Data Transparency: A Survey of 14 Forested Countries, which was co-authored by CCSI Legal Researcher Sam Szoke-Burke and based in part on analysis of concession agreements conducted by CCSI. The paper gives an overview of the availability of information for land concessions in 14 forested countries, with a focus on open spatial information, laws governing the disclosure of concessions data, and the completeness and quality of concessions data across countries and sectors. 

June-August 2017: Executive Trainings on Extractive Industries, Sustainable Investment in Agriculture, and Investment Arbitration
We are looking forward to our three Executive Trainings this summer on Extractive Industries and Sustainable Development (June 5-16, 2017), Sustainable Investments in Agriculture (July 12-21, 2017), and Investment Arbitration for Government Officials (July 31-August 10, 2017). Each program is designed to equip participants with the necessary skills, analytical tools, and frameworks to address relevant challenges and opportunities, and to encourage a rich dialogue about best practices from around the globe. More information about each training, including brochures and applications, are available at the links above. Participants will receive a Statement of Attendance from Columbia University.

Coal Mining Jobs Trump Would Bring Back No Longer Exist
CCSI’s Nicolas Maennling was quoted in the New York Times in an article that reviewed the alleged positive job impacts resulting from Trump’s latest rollback on environmental regulations saying “However way you spin it, gas and renewables are going to continue to replace coal... And in order to stay competitive, coal will have to increase automation. What Mr. Trump does will make little difference.” A recent study conducted by IISD, CCSI and Engineers Without Borders found that 30 to 75 percent of jobs may be at risk due to automation in the mining sector.