In early 2005, the then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan invited a group of the world’s largest institutional investors to join a process to develop the Principles for Responsible Investment. A 20-person investor group drawn from institutions in 12 countries was supported by a 70-person group of experts from the investment industry, intergovernmental organisations and civil society.

The PRI is the world’s leading proponent of responsible investment. It works:

• to understand the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors;
• to support its international network of investor signatories in incorporating these factors into their investment and ownership decisions.