We are very excited about our Bold Plans and Faith-Consistent Investing conference in London this week. It's a chance for us to get together with faith leaders, our partners and asset owners to look at how best to grow the Faith-consistent Investing Movement.
We've got some great speakers and fascinating discussions planned. And we're also co-hosting the London premiere of The Letter, the astonishing documentary film about the impact of Pope Francis's ground-breaking Laudato Si' encyclical on four eco champions. The film features FaithInvest's Dr Lorna Gold and Martin Palmer.
Check out our press release about the Bold Plans conference below.
Press release: Representatives from the world's major faiths and the finance industry will come together in London next week on October 26-27 to discuss how to mobilise faith-owned assets and investments for people and planet.
The two-day Bold Plans and Faith-Consistent Investing conference aims to catalyse the fast-growing movement of faith groups investing in line with their values to support climate, environmental and sustainable development objectives.
It is organised by FaithInvest, founded in 2019 to grow the scale and impact of faith-consistent investing worldwide, supported by Accounting for Sustainability, established by HM King Charles III in 2004, when he was The Prince of Wales, to drive a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy.
Faith groups are significant stakeholders in the planet and manage billions of dollars’ worth of investments. FaithInvest Chief Executive Martin Palmer explains: ‘Research shows major faith groups run half of the world’s schools, a quarter of its colleges and universities, and a third of its hospitals. Collectively, they feed people a half billion meals per day, own a tenth of the world’s forests, and manage billions of dollars of investments. So what they do with their assets and investments matters.'
Martin Palmer adds: 'The faiths should be a natural powerhouse for ethical, faith-based and impact investing that contributes to environmental, social and governance (ESG) or socially responsible investing (SRI). Yet for many faiths, this is currently more of a potential than a reality.'
The Bold Plans and Faith-Consistent Investing Conference will bring together around 100 faith leaders and asset managers to explore ways of expanding collaboration and accelerating faith-consistent investing. It takes place a year after the ground-breaking October 2021 appeal to the UN's COP26 climate conference signed by the Pope and 40 faith leaders, in which they committed to 'aligning investments' and creating 'bold plans' to make their own organisations more sustainable.
Information for editors
Bold Plans and Faith-Consistent Investing takes place from Wednesday 26 to Thursday 27 October at Christchurch, Spitalfields, London, E1 6LY, UK
It includes a screening at 6.30pm, Thursday 27, of The Letter: A message for our earth, a new documentary by Oscar-winning producers Off the Fence featuring the Pope and frontline eco activists. Organised with CAFOD and the Laudato Si' Movement, it will be followed by a post-film conversation between FaithInvest's Dr Lorna Gold and Martin Palmer, who both appear in the film, and Catholic commentator Austen Ivereigh.
Download the programme below:
.FaithInvest is an international not-for-profit organisation founded in 2019 to grow the scale and impact of faith-consistent, values-driven investing worldwide. We work with all faiths, whatever their size or sophistication of investment portfolios. www.faithinvest.org
Accounting for Sustainability (A4S) was established by HM King Charles III in 2004, when he was The Prince of Wales, to drive a fundamental shift towards resilient business models and a sustainable economy. It aims to transform finance to make sustainable business, business as usual. aims to transform finance to make sustainable business, business as usual: www.accountingforsustainability.org
Media contact for the event
Susie Weldon, Director of Communications, FaithInvest
01749 870057 | 0797 0466 830 | susie.weldon@faithinvest.org