AP-fondernas etikråd / Council on Ethics Swedish National Pension Funds

Every week is AMR Awareness Week at the Council on Ethics: 🔹The UK’s Science and Innovation Network (SIN) at the British Embassy in Stockholm organized a panel on AMR at the British Ambassador's Residence to cap off discussions held by representatives from the UK, the Baltics and Nordics, as well as the Netherlands. At the panel the need for funding of novel antibiotics and diagnostics, and the role investors should take in demanding increased transparency from companies involved in the antibiotics value chain, were among the issues discussed. Insightful comments as always from Emma Berntman, PhD at FAIRR Initiative and Maria Larsson Ortino at LGIM, our partners in Investor Action on AMR (IAAMR). 🔹IAAMR, which the Council on Ethics joined earlier this year, recently won the City AM Dragon Award for Industry Association of the Year. Well deserved. The main aim of the IAAMR initiative is to leverage investor influence to combat drug-resistant superbugs. 🔹Swedish IAAMR members and institutions that have identified AMR as a material risk gathered at IAAMR member Folksam to discuss areas of cooperation, and progress made. 🔹 Last but certainly not least, the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry together with Axfoundation organized a seminar on the pharmaceutical sector’s role in managing water and soil pollution in the manufacturing stage. The discussion, led by members of academia and industry, highlighted the role investors have in combating AMR. There is a clear sense of momentum on the back of the political declaration adopted at the UN General Assembly high level meeting in September, and the following commitments made at the ministerial meeting in Jeddah in November which the World Health Organization calls a “collective declaration to open a new chapter in global efforts to address AMR, building the coalition of the willing into a powerful force for impact to turn the tide of AMR”. #stewardship #activeownership #amr #antimicrobialresistance #antibiotics #InvestorActionAMR #FAIRR #UNGA79 Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

This week the Council on Ethics’ Anna Warberg is participating in the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, a gathering for civil society, national human rights institutions, UN bodies, businesses, investors and other stakeholders to discuss business-related human rights issues. Lina Sandström and Petter Forslund from AP2 have also participated in the Forum. The topics covered at the Forum are relevant across the Council on Ethics work on behalf of AP Funds 1-4, both reactive and in the five focus areas for proactive work. The Forum is also an important opportunity to share perspectives, experiences and insights with stakeholders. In particular, we’ve enjoyed workshops and roundtable discussions on AI and tech product development, child rights, and human rights due diligence both for companies and investors. Thanks to all new and old connections for fruitful discussions and initiatives related to corporate respect for human rights! Links to information about our work in this field can be found in the comments. #UNForumBHR #bizhumanrights Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) Tredje AP-fonden (AP3) Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

"Educate. Advocate. Act now." is this year's theme for the World AMR Awareness Week. Thank you FAIRR for highligthing some of the work the Council on Ethics of the Swedish National Pension Funds does in that regard.

Last month we had the pleasure to talk about the work that we do at the Council on Ethics at Stockholm School of Economics and the course: Sustainability Challenges - Business in Society.   Jenny Gustafsson presented: 🔹 the important role of the AP Funds in the Swedish national pension system 🔹 how we work to ensure respect for international norms and standards for responsible business 🔹the proactive work in our focus areas related to systemic sustainability challenges 🔹how we use dialogue and collaboration as essential tools for driving change Many thanks to Susanne Sweet and Emma Sjöström for the invitation, and to all students for engaging discussions! Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

Join us next week at Swesif and UNICEF's in-person event in Stockholm to learn more about child rights' risks and digitalisation, and how investors can integrate these topics into their analysis and stewardship work. Anna Warberg will present insights from the Big Tech & Human Rights investor collaboration that the Council on Ethics co-ordinates, and how we approach the issues on behalf of AP Funds 1-4. We look forward to sharing our experience and participating in the workshop with investors and child rights experts. #stewardship #activeownership #bizhumanrights Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

Jenny Gustafsson, Executive Director at the Council on Ethics, provided a systems perspective on social issues at today's SvD Investor Summit in Stockholm, alongside presentations from AP1, AP3, and AP4 on topics such as the US elections and managing sovereign risk in emerging markets. Thank you SvD for arranging an insightful day. Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

One of the focus areas for us at the AP-fondernas etikråd / Council on Ethics Swedish National Pension Funds this week has been antimicrobial resistance (AMR): 🔹 Thank you to Sweden’s AMR ambassador Malin Grape and Government Offices of Sweden, Ministry for Health and Social Affairs for hosting the multistakeholder event on AMR on Wednesday. As the only investor representative in the network we were pleased to have the opportunity to offer our perspectives on Sweden’s AMR strategy in an international context, and to expand on why we see AMR as a material risk from an investment perspective. We particularly welcome the opportunity to exchange perspectives with representatives from academia and civil society, as well as to hear from the relevant government departments on how AMR is managed on a national level. We look forward to the next meeting in 2025. In the meantime we anticipate the outcome of the ministerial meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November: "From Declaration to Implementation", referring to the recently adopted political declaration at the United Nations General Assembly in September. 🔹 Thank you also Swesif for convening a fruitful and outcome-oriented discussion on the financial relevance of AMR among investors, chaired by Emma Berntman, PhD, representing our strategic partner FAIRR Initiative, on Thursday. 🔹Equally, thank you Swesif for arranging, and MSCI Inc. for hosting, Dr. Berntman’s evidence-based and insightful presentation on the investor relevance of AMR, on Friday. AMR Awareness Week 2024 is coming up in late November, with this year’s theme being “Educate. Advocate. Act now.” #stewardship #activeownership #amr #antimicrobialresistance #antibiotics #InvestorActionAMR #FAIRR #UNGA79 Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

Yesterday the Council on Ethics participated in #globalchildforum, a gathering of companies, civil society, investors and youth representatives (some pictured below) to address challenges and solutions for advancing children's rights. Important topics on the agenda included child labour in supply chains, children's rights and wellbeing online, and responsible products and marketing. Children's rights is a crucial part of the Council on Ethics' work on tech and human rights, and we also have a focus area dedicated to child and forced labour. We're pleased to collaborate with the Global Child Forum, Swedbank Robur and other investors in outreach to global companies on their efforts to protect children’s rights, and look forward to the Global Child Forum Benchmark assessing progress – due to be released in November. Thank you Ekin Björstedt Matt Goodwin Nina Vollmer and team for facilitating these important discussions! #GCForum24 #bizhumanrights #activeownership #stewardship Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

Forever chemicals: What are they? How do they impact human beings, the environment and the AP Funds' investments? Today we hosted Patrik Witkowsky from ChemSec for a very interesting deepdive on hazardous chemicals for the AP Funds. Patrik shared insights into the extent of known contamination, the societal costs of #PFAS, regulatory and litigation risks for what's often dubbed "the new asbestos", as well as opportunities for safer alternatives. The Council on Ethics and AP Funds 1-4 participate in the Investor Initiative on Hazardous Chemicals that ChemSec co-ordinates, engaging with chemicals manufacturers on transparency, phase-out of persistent chemicals, and development of safer solutions. Our Engagement Director Anna Warberg shared how the project is an important part of our thematic work related to #water, and provided an update on the company dialogues that we participate in. #activeownership #stewardship Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

Representing the Swedish National Pension Funds who are long-term investors, the Council on Ethics recognises the systemic risks associated with water security – impacting both society and the environment, as well as companies in institutional portfolios. Good water quality and sufficient access to water is essential for health, sanitation, food production, power generation, and numerous other industrial processes.  Read more about our approach to water in this Q&A with Anna Warberg, Engagement Director at the AP-fondernas etikråd / Council on Ethics Swedish National Pension Funds. #stewardship #activeownership #water Första AP-fonden (AP1) Andra AP-fonden (AP2) AP3 Tredje AP-fonden Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)