_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Main interview

How considered investment can champion positive change in the mining sector

as mining , in many respects , it poses considerable challenges for a fund , such as the Pensions Board . However , in developing our investment and stewardship approach we undertake extensive stakeholder engagement . We try to understand the challenges , and then how we can interact with them . Walking away was not an option for us , because we recognize the importance of mining to society and to many countries ’ development . In developing an ethical approach , we can draw from the various references to mining in the Bible as well as the wider teaching of the Church . Through a process involving leading ethical thinkers , former Vice President of the World Bank , theologians , trustees and our own investment teams we were able to draw several key principles that shape an ethical investment policy for the extractive sector . I ’ ve been implementing the policy ever since . We ’ ve been leading several interventions on behalf of the wider investor community in response to challenging issues in the mining sector . We recognize the importance of mining and its presence in many of the areas where faith communities are also present , alongside the fact that society demands these resources . Equally , we recognize that when mining goes wrong , it can have very outsized impacts on communities , on people , and on the environment . Hence our long-term commitment to drive genuine systemic change . The intervention we made following the Brumadinho disaster and those underway with the Global Investor Commission on Mining 2030 are intended to address challenges in a meaningful way ,” he explains .

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