| 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.) | 9000 | |||||
| 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 | Simple | Hybrid | ||||
| 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 | 30.9 | 11.5 | ||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 0 | 0 | 2.4 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 19.6 | 0 | ||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 0 | ||
| Private equity | 0 | 0 | 5.8 | 0 | ||
| Listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 0 | 0 | 13.8 | 0 | ||
| Hedge funds | 0 | 0 | 9.3 | 0 | ||
| Commodities | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Infrastructure | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | 0 | ||
| Cash | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 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 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | |||||
| 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),Listed equity (emerging markets),Fixed income (not including corporate issuers),Fixed income (corporate issuers),Private equity,Non-listed real estate or property,Hedge funds,Infrastructure,Cash (not included in scoring) | |||||
| 8. If you have a policy that makes specific reference to RI/ESG issues, when was your policy last reviewed? | Within the last 3 years | |||||
| 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: 'Under the Freedom of Information Act, this information may be obtained by the public' | |||||
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?
| Not at all | |||||
| 11. Who within your organisation has responsibilities related to RI implementation?(Please check all that apply.) | Board of trustees or board of directors,Committee of the board of trustees or board of directors,Other senior management,Middle management,RI or ESG specialist,Other (please specify): 'consultants' | |||||
| 12. Do you have a policy or approach/process that requires screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe? | Both stocks and sectors | |||||
| 13. What are your reasons for screening out or excluding stocks or sectors from your investment universe?(Please check all that apply.) | Other (please specify): 'legislation compliance' | |||||
| 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 do not take RI activities into account when evaluating the performance of the Board's investments. | |||||
| 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. | In the past year, the Board Staff ( Staff ) conducted a general inquiry of climate risk assessment within its investment portfolio. Staff emailed each investment manager, asking if and how the investment managers addressed the issues of climate risk and environmental sustainability. The majority of the Board's investment managers in the real estate portfolio has addressed both of these issues and has begun to implement policies that have included benchmarking energy consumption and obtaining building certifications that assess energy efficiency. Furthermore, many of these investment managers have created sustainability committees which operate internally to assess climate risk and other sustainability issues within their portfolio investments. Even thought this inquiry has yet to be implemented into the Board's investment policy, the Board will take into account when determining investment options as soon as it becomes economically sound to do so. | |||||
| 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) | 100 | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | 100 | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | 100 | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | 100 | |||||
| Private equity | 100 | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | 100 | |||||
| Hedge funds | 100 | |||||
| Infrastructure | 100 | |||||
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) | To a small extent | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | To a small extent | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | To a small extent | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | To a small extent | |||||
| Private equity | To a small extent | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | To a small extent | |||||
| Hedge funds | To a small extent | |||||
| Infrastructure | To a small extent | |||||
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.)
| Not at all | |||||
| 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. | No Answer | |||||
| 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. | The Board outsourced its proxy voting responsibilities to Institutional Shareholder Services ( ISS ) using the Proxy Voter Service Voting Guidelines ( PVS ). Under PVS, votes are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and are considered in the context of the company under review. When voting on a single proposal, which may include ESG issues, PVS takes into account many factors, some of which include company performance relative to peers, lack of independence of the board members and key board committees, executive compensation, expensing of stock options, and failure of board to respond to majority shareholder votes. The policy for which the Board would consider ESG issues is dependent upon the PSV policy established by ISS. In 2005, the Board directed ISS to vote the Board's proxies and adopted a proxy voting policy consistent with the Board's fiduciary responsibility. | |||||
| (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: 'through a FOIA request' | |||||
| 29. Does your (proxy) voting policy address environmental, social, and governance issues? | ||||||
| Environmental | No | |||||
| 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.) | External proxy voting service | |||||
31. To what extent is information related to ballot items gathered and analysed before voting decisions are made?
| To a small extent | |||||
| 32. Do you ensure that voting is done in accordance with your voting instructions? | Yes for some | |||||
| 33. Do you inform companies of your rationale when you abstain or vote against management recommendations? | We make no effort to communicate our views | |||||
| 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 | 17079 | 17079 | ||||
| Foreign | 31438 | 30957 | ||||
| 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 recall some securities for voting on some ballot items on a systematic basis | |||||
| 37. How many shareholder resolutions related to ESG issues did you file or co-file during 2008? | ||||||
| As lead filer | 0 | |||||
| As co-filer | 0 | |||||
| Planning to be lead filer in 2009 | 0 | |||||
| Planning to be co-filer in 2009 | 0 | |||||
| 38. Please explain why you did or did not file or co-file any shareholder resolutions related to RI/ESG issues during 2008: | Nothing presented itself to the Board as an opportunity to file. However, the Board has filed as both lead filer and co-filer in the past and is not opposed to doing so again when necessary. | |||||
| 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) | Second most important | |||||
| 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.) | No | |||||
| 41. If you have an engagement policy or other documents that direct engagement, what do they include?(Please check all that apply.) | No Answer | |||||
| 42. How many companies are you invested in? | 3160 | |||||
| Engagement - internal staff | ||||||
43. To what extent do you have a process for identifying and prioritising ESG related engagement opportunities?
| To a moderate extent | |||||
44. How many portfolio companies did you engage with on ESG issues in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 0 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 0 | |||||
| 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 | 25 | |||||
| Social | 50 | |||||
| Governance | 25 | |||||
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.) | 50 | |||||
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?
| Not applicable | |||||
| Engagement - external engagement service provider(s) | ||||||
49. How many portfolio companies did your external engagement service provider(s) engage with on ESG issues on your behalf in 2008?
| ||||||
| Extensive engagement | 0 | |||||
| Moderate engagement | 0 | |||||
| Basic engagement | 0 | |||||
| 50. 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 | 0 | |||||
| Social | 100 | |||||
| Governance | 0 | |||||
51. To what extent do you contribute to and assess the ESG engagement activities of your external engagement service provider(s)?
| To a large extent | |||||
| 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,Human rights | |||||
| 57. What measures do you or your external service provider(s) use to assess the impact and success of engagement? | No Answer | |||||
| 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. | Public Act 95-616 (the Iran Act ) took effect on January 1, 2008, and imposed new investment restrictions on the Board. The Iran Act limits the investment in certain companies with ties to the Government of Iran and its oil-related and mineral-extraction business sectors. The Board adopted an Iran Divestment Policy to guide the Board's implementation and compliance with the Act's specific requirements. The Board adopted its official List of Scrutinized Companies at its July 11, 2008 Board Meeting. This List is updated on an annual basis with the assistance of Risk Metrics Group, an independent research firm. The Board continues to implement similiar policy with regards to the Sudan Act, which became effective in 2007. | |||||
| 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 collaboratively with other investors | |||||
61. {ERR} 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) | Not at all | |||||
| Listed equity (emerging markets) | Not at all | |||||
| Fixed income (not including corporate issuers) | Not at all | |||||
| Fixed income (corporate issuers) | Not at all | |||||
| Private equity | Not at all | |||||
| Non-listed real estate or property | Not at all | |||||
| Hedge funds | Not at all | |||||
| Infrastructure | Not at all | |||||
| 62. What formats of reporting on ESG issue policies, practices or performance have been requested? Please check all that apply. | Global Framework for Climate Risk Disclosure,Other (please specify): 'legislation compliance' | |||||
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 small 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. | The Board has worked with PRI to push for the signatory of the State Universities Retirement System ( SURS ) and was successful in this regard. In addition to participating in various PRI webinars, the Board is currently working with PRI to address the issues surrounding the Employee Free Choice Act. By engaging with investment managers who are currently lobbying against this Act, the Board, with the support of PRI, hopes to educate the investment industry on the importance of the passage of this Act. In the future, the Board plans to work with PRI to publish a report with the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys ( NAPPA ). This report will set forth the legal ramifications of becoming a PRI signatory. It is the goal of this report to illustrate the benefits of PRI and the importance of such action as a fiduciary to an institutional investor. | |||||
| 66. Did you consider RI/ESG requirements when searching for and selecting service providers in 2008 when applicable? | ||||||
| Investment consultant | No | |||||
| Proxy voting service provider | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| External overlay service provider | Not applicable | |||||
| Investment research provider | No | |||||
| 67. Have you included RI/ESG elements in the following? | ||||||
| Investment monitoring | Yes, some of the time | |||||
| Incentive structure (internally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Incentive structure (externally managed) | Not applicable | |||||
| Contractual relationships with external investment managers | Yes, all of the time | |||||
| Contractual relationships with other investment related service providers | Yes, all 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.)
| Not at all | |||||
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 large 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? | No | |||||
| 73A. What is your total investment research budget (including brokerage commissions intended to recognize research, in the same currency used in Q1) | 167938 | |||||
| 73B. what proportion of your total investment research budget is allocated to ESG research (in percent)? | 24 | |||||
74. To what extent do you identify ESG issues and suggest them to brokers or other investment research providers for research?
| To a large 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 moderate 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. | The Board has and will continue to work with PRI signatories on platforms for collaborative efforts. Currently, the Board is working with PRI to push for the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. In addition to these efforts, the Board is actively involved with the Council of Institutional Investors ( CII ) and the Investor Network on Climate Risk ( INCR ) and is scheduled to serve as a co-host of the INCR breakfast panel at the upcoming Spring CII Conference. Last year, the Board hosted the INCR breakfast panel at the Fall CII Conference in Chicago. Finally, the Board signed a letter, produced by INCR produced, which encouraged legislators to pass an economic stimulus plan that encouraged the use of clean energy, energy efficient, and public and clean transportation modes. | |||||
78. To what extent did you collaborate with other investors to improve your effectiveness in implementing each of the following Principles?
| ||||||
| Principle 1 | Not at all | |||||
| Principle 2 | Not at all | |||||
| Principle 3 | To a small extent | |||||
| Principle 4 | To a moderate extent | |||||
| 79. How did you use the PRI Engagement Clearinghouse in 2008?(Please check all that apply.) | Planning to log in in 2009 | |||||
| 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.) | Council of Institutional Investors (CII),Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) | |||||
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:
| ||||||
| PRI | To a moderate extent | Provided overall support. Pursuaded SURS to become a signatory. | ||||
| Council of Institutional Investors (CII) | To a moderate extent | Attended Conferences where the Board served as Host. Signed onto various position papers and collaborative shareholder initiatives. | ||||
| Investor Network on Climate Risk (INCR) | To a moderate extent | Worked directly with INCR to conduct a climate risk and environmental sustainability assessment of the Board's portfolio. Co-hosted events and signed various position papers. | ||||
| 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. | As an active member of INCR, the Board participates in various discussions with other institutional investors. These discussions are centered around many key ESG issues; the availability of these forums is a valuable way to report on the activities and progress towards the implementation of PRI Principles. In addition, the Board hopes that its completion of this questionnaire will help PRI to adequately evaluate the progress of implementation of its Principles and will, in turn, assist them in the development of tools that will aid in this process. | |||||
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 small extent: '' | |||||
| 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: 'if requested under FOIA' | |||||
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 small extent: '' | |||||
| 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 | if requested under FOIA | ||||
| Principle 4 | Yes - to the public | if requested under FOIA | ||||
| Principle 5 | Yes - to the public | if requested under FOIA | ||||
| 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: | No Answer | |||||
| 91. What has your organisation changed as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory? | There have been no changes as a direct result of becoming a PRI signatory. | |||||
| 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. | Connect sustainability to prevention of future meltdowns in the capital markets. | |||||
| 2. | Revamping the regulatory environment. | |||||
| 3. | Executive compensation. | |||||
| 94. What are your top three PRI-related goals/priorities for 2009? | ||||||
| 1. | Improve greening of the Real Estate portfolio. | |||||
| 2. | Engaging with the Board of Directors at Bank of America. | |||||
| 3. | Working towards "Say on Pay." | |||||
| 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. | Engaging with our investment managers re climate risk and sustainability. | |||||
| Principle 2: We will be active owners and incorporate ESG issues into our ownership policies and practices. | Continuing the utilization of ISS with regards to proxy voting. | |||||
| Principle 3: We will seek appropriate disclosure on ESG issues by the entities in which we invest. | Implementation of the Iran Divestment Policy and publishing the Iran Annual Report with the Secretary of State. | |||||
| Principle 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | Working with SURS to become a signatory to PRI. | |||||
| Principle 5: We will work together to enhance our effectiveness in implementing the Principles. | Hosting the INCR breakfast panel at the CII Fall Conference. | |||||
| Principle 6: We will each report on our activities and progress towards implementing the Principles. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 4: We will promote acceptance and implementation of the Principles within the investment industry. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||
| 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 4 | |||||