| Organisational Overview | ||||||
| Organisational Overview This section captures information that helps determine if some of the subsequent questions are required and also plays a role in benchmarking. Please make sure you provide accurate answers. This is also one of the more challenging sections as it may require gathering information from multiple sources. We suggest you collect all this information before progressing to other parts of the questionnaire. | ||||||
| 1. What were your organisation's total assets under management as of the most recent count (in millions)? (Estimating to the nearest hundred million as of December 31 2008 would be preferable - although the most recent available count would be sufficient. If your currency is not listed, please select 'other' and indicate your currency or convert to United States dollars.) | 19400 | |||||
| Please select currency | United States dollar (USD) | |||||
| 1a. If 'other' was selected, please specify the other currency here | No Answer | |||||
2. Please pick the one category and level of complexity that best describes your organisation (if your organisation is a pension fund, please also select your pension type). This information may be used to provide you with the best possible benchmarking. Complexity
| ||||||
| Non-corporate pension or superannuation or retirement or provident fund or plan | Highly complex | Primarily defined benefit | ||||
| 2a. If 'other' was selected, please specify the other category here | No answer | |||||
| 3. Please provide an approximation of your average asset mix for 2008 or your asset mix as of the most recent count (in percent):(+/- 5% is sufficient. The sum of all the fields must be 100%) | ||||||
Active | Passive | Active | Passive | |||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 0 | 0 | 24.3 | 20.6 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 0 | 3.8 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 12.3 | 18.1 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 4.8 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 0 | 0 | 7.1 | 0 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Governance, Policy and Strategy | ||||||
| Governance, Policy and StrategyQuestions 5 through 15 are about the governance and oversight of your organisation's responsible investment activities and the associated policies and strategy. This section will be scored separately from the six Principles."Policy" in this section may refer to one overall RI policy or multiple policies that address various elements of RI. | ||||||
| 5. Do you have a policy that makes specific reference to responsible investment (RI) or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues? | Yes | |||||
| 6. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following Principles does it address?(Please check all that apply.) | Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.,Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices.,Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest.,Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles.,Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | |||||
| 7. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, which of the following asset classes does it apply to?(Please check all that apply.) | Listed equity (developed markets) | |||||
| 8. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, when was your policy last reviewed? | Over 3 years ago | |||||
| 9. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, has it been disclosed publicly?(If answering yes, please indicate how this statement can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes: 'See the Investment Policy Statement at http://www.state.ct.us/ott/pensiondocs/IPSoct2007.pdf (see page 4 for over view)as well as proxy voting guidelines, contained therein.' | |||||
10. To what extent has your approach to responsible investment been translated into a plan of action as reflected in business planning, strategic planning, or similar internal management processes?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 11. Who within your organisation has responsibilities related to RI implementation?(Please check all that apply.) | Chief Executive Officer or Chief Investment Officer or equivalent,Middle management | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | We do not screen or exclude stocks or sectors | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 14. Please describe how your organisation assesses if there is a link between your RI activities and the performance (risk and return) of your investments: | We are beginning to include in our investment manager selection criteria their capacity and execution of using ESG issues in making investment recommendations/decisions. ESG becomes one of a number of criteria looked at. In Private Equity and Real Estate - where we look at specific proposals, we ask similar questions, and ESG becomes one of the criteria evaluated. | |||||
| 15. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Governance, Policy, and Strategy here. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 1 | ||||||
Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes.For the purposes of this questionnaire, integration is the consideration of ESG issues alongside traditional financial measures, based on the belief that ESG issues can affect the performance (risk and/or return) of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes and through time). Please note that the view that ESG issues can influence investment returns may be based either on
| ||||||
| 16. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle.This question and similar questions relating to each of the other Principles are being asked for three reasons. The first reason is to gather details regarding signatory implementation for inclusion in the PRI annual report on progress. The second reason is to capture activities not captured directly by questions in the Reporting and Assessment Tool. The third reason is to provide context and details to support verification calls. | We are beginning to include in our investment manager selection criteria their capacity and execution of using ESG issues in making investment recommendations/decisions. ESG becomes one of a number of criteria looked at. In Private Equity and Real Estate - where we look at specific proposals, we ask similar questions, and ESG becomes one of the criteria evaluated. | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of internally managed assets | ||||||
| 17. For what percentage of your internal assets under active management do you integrate RI/ESG issues into your internal investment decision-making processes (in percent)?(+/- 5% is sufficient.) | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | ||||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | ||||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | ||||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | ||||||
| Private equity | ||||||
| Listed real estate or property | ||||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | ||||||
| Hedge funds | ||||||
| Infrastructure | ||||||
18. To what extent have you integrated RI/ESG issues into your internal active investment decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | No Answer | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | No Answer | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | No Answer | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | No Answer | |||||
| Private equity | No Answer | |||||
| Listed real estate or property | No Answer | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | No Answer | |||||
| Hedge funds | No Answer | |||||
| Infrastructure | No Answer | |||||
19. When forming investment views, to what extent does your organisation gather and analyse ESG information, including, where applicable, information obtained from engagement activities?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| No Answer | |||||
20. To what extent do portfolio managers or others making investment decisions in your organisation apply the ESG information and analysis available to them when constructing and managing portfolios?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| No Answer | |||||
21. To what extent do you have a process for improving the effectiveness of research and portfolio management processes with regards to ESG factors?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| No Answer | |||||
22. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving internal investment staff competency to incorporate RI/ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q17.)
| No Answer | |||||
| Integration of ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes of externally managed assets | ||||||
| 23. For what percentage of your external assets under management are RI/ESG issues integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers (in percent, +/- 5% is sufficient)? | ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | 0 | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | |||||
| Private equity | 0 | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | |||||
24. To what extent have RI/ESG issues been integrated into the investment decision-making processes of your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed markets) | Not applicable | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | Not applicable | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not applicable | |||||
| Private equity | Not applicable | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | Not applicable | |||||
25. To what extent do you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to incorporate RI/ESG issues when searching for, selecting and retaining your external investment managers?(Applies only to investments that include integration of RI/ESG issues as indicated in Q23.)
| To a small extent | |||||
| Integration - final comments | ||||||
| 26. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 1 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 1 that have not been captured by the questions above. | CT does not manage assets externally. We did not separate out government fixed income from corporate fixed income in our asset allocation analysis. | |||||
| Principle 2 | ||||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | ||||||
| 27. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We are very active owners. We have customized proxy voting guidelines and vote all proxies. Our guidelines note the importance of ESG issues in protecting and enhancing the value of our investment portfolio. We actively engage with portfolio companies through dialogue and filing of shareholder resolutions. We work closely together with other activist shareholders, both directly and through membership organizations, such as the Counsil of Investors (CII), the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), the Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR), and others. | |||||
| (Proxy) voting - applies only to listed equity (developed markets), listed equity (emerging markets) and listed real estate or property. | ||||||
| 28. Do you have a (proxy) voting policy?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your (proxy) voting policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient. If answering no, please explain why not.) | Yes - disclosed publicly: 'http://www.state.ct.us/ott/proxyvotingpolicies.htm' | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | Yes | |||||
| Social | Yes | |||||
| Governance | Yes | |||||
| 30. Who decided how to vote on ballot items on behalf of your organisation in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Other (please specify): 'External proxy voting service using our own customized guidelines - maintaining our ability to override any vote recommendation.' | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | Yes for all | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | Yes for some | |||||
| 34. Please indicate how many resolutions you could have voted on and how many resolutions you did vote on in 2008:(include abstentions as votes where votes against are not possible, use the last available one year period if information for 2008 is not available or too difficult to gather, approximate numbers are acceptable. If you are unable to provide the exact number please provide an approximation of the percentage by entering 10 in the 'Resolutions could have voted on' column and your estimate in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. So if you voted on about 70% of the possible resolutions you would enter 7 in the 'Resolutions voted on' column. If you are not sure, please enter a 1 in all four fields.) | ||||||
| Domestic | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Foreign | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 35. You are classified as an Asset Owner and should not answer this question. For the listed equities that you manage, do you provide (proxy) voting services for your clients if they request them? | No Answer | |||||
| 36. How does your securities lending program address voting? | We don't recall our shares for voting purposes | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | 9 | |||||
| As co-filer | 10 | |||||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2009 | 16 | |||||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2009 | 9 | |||||
| 38. Please explain why you did or did not file or co-file any shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues during 2008: | No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - general | ||||||
| 39. Who engaged with companies to seek ESG improvements in 2008?Please rank who engaged with companies according to their importance within your overall active ownership activities. You can only select Most, Second, Third and Fourth most important once each. Only the method you rank as 'Most important' will be scored for benchmarking purposes. If you wish to request that your other methods of engagement also be scored, please complete all the relevant sections and email the PRI at assessment@unpri.org when you submit your response. | ||||||
| Internal staff | Most important | |||||
| External investment manager(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| External engagement service provider(s) | Did not engage with companies in 2008 | |||||
| No Answer | |||||
| 40. Do you have a written engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement?(If 'Yes - disclosed publicly', please indicate how your policy can be obtained- a URL would be sufficient.) | Yes - disclosed publicly: 'Proxy voting policies' | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | Other (please specify): 'Proxy voting policies' | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 1500 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| To a large extent | |||||
44. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 30 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 5 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 0 | |||||
| 45. What proportion of your engagements addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | 11 | |||||
| Social | 5 | |||||
| Governance | 19 | |||||
46. To what extent do you set ESG engagement objectives and attempt to evaluate your engagement success?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 47. What percentage of engagements that ended in 2008 were deemed successful (in percent)?(Engagement success: a considerable part of objectives or milestones that were set when the engagement commenced were achieved.) | 57 | |||||
48. To what extent do you have a process for assessing and improving staff competency to act as active owners and incorporate ESG issues into ownership practices?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 50. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external engagement service provider(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)?(One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
51. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external engagement service provider(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - external investment manager(s) | ||||||
52. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. How many portfolio companies did your external investment manager(s)'s engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | ||||||
| Moderate engagement | ||||||
| Basic engagement | ||||||
| 53. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. What proportion of your external investment manager(s)'s engagements on your behalf addressed environmental, social or governance issues (in percent)? (One engagement may address more than one issue, so the three percentages need not add to 100%. For example, if you only had one engagement and it addressed environmental and governance issues then the answer would be 100% for environmental and 100% for governance.) | ||||||
| Environmental | ||||||
| Social | ||||||
| Governance | ||||||
54. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external investment manager(s)?
| No Answer | |||||
| 55. This question is not applicable to you due to your response to Q39 regarding who engages with companies. Did you consider the capabilities of external investment managers to engage with companies on ESG issues on your behalf when searching for, selecting and retaining your investment managers? | No Answer | |||||
| Engagement - final comments | ||||||
| 56. What ESG issues were addressed in your or your service providers'engagement initiatives? (Please check all that apply.) | Activities in conflict zones,Benefits and compensation,Bribery/corruption,Climate change,Distribution of fair trade products,Environment,Governance,Health,Health and safety,HIV/AIDS,Human rights,Labour issues,Nanotechnology / novel technology | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | Our service providers are Risk Metrics and the Corporate Library. RMG covers all issues. TCL covers governance issues, including executive compensation. | |||||
| 58. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 2 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 2 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 3 | ||||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | ||||||
| 59. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We regularly ask for reports to shareholders on ESG issues - including on independence of compnesation consultants, the issuance of sustainability reports, and asking companeis to reply to the Carbon Disclosure Project. We have joined with the CEO Water mandate to ask selected companies to disclosure more on water usage and water risk. We have joined in request to the SEC to require more disclosure on climate risk, as well as on other issues such as executive compensation and compensation consultant independence. | |||||
| 60. Who asked investee companies (or other investment entities) to provide information about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Internal staff,Internal staff collaboratively with other investors | |||||
61. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) have a dialogue with investee companies (or other investment entities) regarding the production of standardized reporting about their ESG policies, practices or performance in 2008?('Standardized' could also include systematic reporting in areas where standardized reporting has not yet emerged.)
| ||||||
| Listed equity (developed market) | To a large extent | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | Not at all | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not at all | |||||
| Private equity | To a small extent | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | Not at all | |||||
| 62. What formats of reporting on ESG issue policies, practices or performance have been requested? Please check all that apply. | Integrated with regular financial reports,Standalone corporate social responsibility or sustainability reporting,Global Reporting Initiative (GRI),Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP),Global Framework for Climate Risk Disclosure | |||||
63. To what extent did you or your external engagement service provider(s) or your external investment manager(s) seek information from companies regarding their practices related to norms, standards, codes of conduct or international initiatives related to ESG issues in 2008?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
| 64. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 3 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 3 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 4 | ||||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | ||||||
| 65. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We are beginning to include in our investment manager selection criteria their capacity and execution of using ESG issues in making investment recommendations/decisions. ESG becomes one of a number of criteria looked at. In Private Equity and Real Estate - where we look at specific proposals, we ask similar questions, and ESG becomes one of the criteria evaluated. We also ask prospective managers whether they are signatories to PRI. By integrating ESG issues into our manager and consultant processes and specifically citing PRI we are promoting acceptance and implementation of PRI. | |||||
| 66. Did you consider RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting service providers in 2008 when applicable? | ||||||
| Investment consultant | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Proxy voting service provider | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| External overlay service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| Investment research provider | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| 67. Have you included RI/ESG elements in the following? | ||||||
| Investment monitoring | No | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | No | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | No | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Yes, some of the time | |||||
68. To what extent did you encourage your eligible service providers to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?(Service providers include but are not limited to: external investment managers, investment consultants, proxy voting service providers, external engagement service providers, and investment research providers.)
| To a small extent | |||||
69. You are classified as an Asset Owner and should not answer this question. To what extent did you encourage your institutional clients to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| No Answer | |||||
70. To what extent did you encourage peer organisations to become PRI signatories or consider RI/ESG factors in 2008?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 71. Have you revisited any relationships with service providers in light of RI/ESG issue-related capabilities? | No | |||||
| 72. Does your broker evaluation process (which determines how you allocate commissions to brokers) include an ESG component and/or do you have a budget to pay for ESG broker research? | Not applicable | |||||
| 73A. What is your total investment research budget (including brokerage commissions intended to recognize research, in the same currency used in Q1) | 0 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 0 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
75. To what extent did you engage in dialogue, lobbying or initiatives pertaining to government policy and/or industry regulations (for example, stock exchanges or accounting standards) related to RI/ESG issues in 2008?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 76. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 4 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 4 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 5 | ||||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 77. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We work together with other investors and investor groups particularly in the shareholder activism area. Organizatins include the Council of Institutional Investors, the Investor Network on Climate Risk, the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility, the Carbon Disclosure Project, and the Social Investment Forum. We work closely with institutional investors with many perspectives, including public pension funds, labor pension funds, socially responsible investors, faith based investors, corporate pension funds, etc. The issues we address with these investors and organizatons are in line with the Principles. | |||||
78. To what extent did you collaborate with other investors to improve your effectiveness in implementing each of the following Principles?
| ||||||
| Principle 1 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Principle 2 | To a large extent | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a large extent | |||||
| 79. How did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Joined a collaborative engagement led by another signatory that was posted to the Clearinghouse | |||||
| 80. Did you participate in any of the following RI/ESG issue-related collaborations and/or associations? For those not listed, please use the "other" field:(Please check all that apply.) | Carbon Disclosure Project,Council of Institutional Investors (CII),CFA Institute Centre for Financial Market Integrity,Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI),International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN),Investor Group on Climate Change, Australia/New Zealand (IGCC),Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR),United Nations Environmental Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) | |||||
81. Please indicate the three RI/ESG issue-related collaborative engagement initiatives and/or industry associations that you participated in most extensively and indicate how you did so:
| ||||||
| Council of Institutional Investors (CII) | To a large extent | We are on the board of CII, and have worked to include PRI related issues in their programs. | ||||
| Carbon Disclosure Project | To a large extent | We were the only US public pension fund to be a signatory in CDP1 - and have been a signatory every year. We have urged portfolio companies to reply to CDP. | ||||
| Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) | To a large extent | We are a founding member of INCR, and sit on the board of Ceres (its parent organization). We take an active leadership role in many activities of INCR. | ||||
| 82. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 5 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 5 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Principle 6 | ||||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 83. Please provide a one to two paragraph description of your approach to this Principle. | We are required to report regularly to our Investment Advisory Council, the Governor, and the state legislature on a number of issues. We include reports on our PRI activities in some of these reports. We also issue press releases and have information on our website that relate to PRI issues. | |||||
84. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your approach to incorporating ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a moderate extent: 'http://www.state.ct.us/ott/' | |||||
| 85. How did you disclose your (proxy) voting record in 2008?(Please select all that apply. If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | Disclosed publicly: 'http://www.state.ct.us/ott/proxyvotingsummary.htm' | |||||
86. To what extent did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) your RI/ESG issue-related engagement activities, results and progress in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.)
| To a moderate extent: 'http://www.state.ct.us/ott/' | |||||
| 87. Did you disclose (privately and/or publicly) RI/ESG activities, results and progress related to Principle 3, Principle 4 or Principle 5 in 2008?(If you disclose publicly, please indicate how this disclosure can be obtained - a URL would be sufficient. If answering not at all, please explain why not.) | ||||||
| Principle 3 | Yes - to the public | http://www.state.ct.us/ott/ | ||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to the public | http://www.state.ct.us/ott/ | ||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to the public | http://www.state.ct.us/ott/ | ||||
| 88. How would you like to publish your responses to this PRI Reporting and Assessment tool?(Please check all that apply.) | Please automatically publish our responses to the reporting and assessment tool in full on the PRI website | |||||
| 89. Please add any overall comments and clarifications related to Principle 6 here. Please also describe any significant activities relating to Principle 6 that have not been captured by the questions above. | No Answer | |||||
| Closing Comments | ||||||
| 90. Please describe the benefits you have enjoyed as a result of signing the PRI: | As an initial signatory to PRI we have benefited from the establishment of the principles - which has broadened and deepened investor interest in issues and processes we support. We have also worked on some of the initiatives as well. | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | We have spent time filling out this long questionaire. | |||||
| 92. Did the financial market turmoil of 2008 cause you to change your approach to the consideration of ESG factors or active ownership? If it did, please explain how. | NO | |||||
| 93. What are the top three activities the PRI Secretariat could undertake to enhance and encourage further implementation of the PRI by current and prospective signatories? | ||||||
| 1. | Develop training for investment analysts on PRI issues, including how to integrate this analysis into their traditional financial analyses. | |||||
| 2. | x | |||||
| 3. | sx | |||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Continue as an active shareholder on governance and environmental issues. | |||||
| 2. | Work with our consultants and investment managers to integrate ESG analysis into evaluation of investment opportunities. | |||||
| 3. | Encourage US policy makers to protect and empower shareholders and enhance their ability to be more active owners, particularly in election of board members to assure better risk management and compensation policies and practices. | |||||
| 95. What were your most significant achievements in 2008 in relation to your implementation of Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | We have begun to integrate ESG issues into evaluation of investment managers, and in some investment decisions. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | As the policy leadership of the government changes, issues that we have been working on for years are being brought to the top of the action agenda. Portfolio companies are becoming more responsive to issues we have raised with them, such as say on pay and climate change. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | WE continue to call on regulatory bodies (e.g. the SEC) to require more disclosure, particularly in the area of climate change. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | As part of our beginning integration of ESG into the investment analysis and decision making process we are looking at whether investment managers have embraced the principles. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | We continue to work with many other investors on these issues. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | We continue to report to appropriate agencies. | |||||
| 96. What were your biggest barriers in 2008 with relation to your implementation of the Principles? | ||||||
| Principle 1: We will incorporate ESG issues into investment analysis and decision-making processes. | Many investment managers have not developed the capacity to use ESG issues in investment analysis and decision making. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | The financial crisis has limited our (and others) resources to engage - particularly at conferences and in face to face meetings with portfolio companies. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | Regulatory and policy making bodies have been unresponsive. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | Many investment managers have not bought into the principles or the issues they address. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | See 2 above. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | None. | |||||
| 97. Please indicate which principle you find the most difficult to implement and the principle you find the least difficult to implement: | ||||||
| Most difficult | Principle 1 | |||||
| Least difficult | Principle 2 | |||||