Advising on social criteria that focus on children's rights
The criteria are derived from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and focus on:
- Right to education
- Right to health
- Right to adequate nutrition
- Right to adequate housing
- Right to a healthy environment
- Right to freedom of expression, information or privacy
- Right to play
In this way, we contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations' (UN) global goals for sustainable development.
The criteria serve as the basis for our mission to establish a best-practice approach in this area. We are thus committed to the sustainable alignment of financial flows, because we are convinced that a future-proof financial system can only be created if it promotes sustainable change while also taking social dimensions into account.
Expert panel for multidimensional quality assurance
A fixed and important component of the cooperation with GLS Investments is a committee of various experts, the so-called Engagement Council, under the leadership of SOS Children's Villages worldwide.
The Council has the following tasks:
- Advocacy for sustainable financial flows: The Council basically acts as an advocate for the observance of children's rights through direct dialogue with companies and advocacy work on the capital market. The aim is to raise society's awareness of the importance of children's rights in the economic context and to demand that companies take responsibility in this regard.
- Advice on additional sustainability criteria: GLS Investments only selects companies and bonds for the fund that not only act ecologically, but also contribute to children's and human rights in the process. The committee advises GLS Investments with regard to this special focus on children and the necessary social-ecological criteria.
- Continuous evaluation of the selection criteria: The committee regularly evaluates compliance with the established criteria and examines whether changes make sense. In addition, the committee is in constant dialog with companies included in the investment universe in order to evaluate the implementation of and compliance with the additional sustainability criteria in the companies concerned.
To this end, experts from a wide range of sectors, including business, academia and civil society, have been brought together who have particular expertise in the areas of children's and human rights and/or their implementation within companies. They ensure as all-encompassing a view of the fund as possible. The work of the Engagement Council members is a voluntary activity.
For their consulting services, SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit is remunerated by GLS Investments. These funds are used to support the worldwide programs of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit, creating an additional impact.