Month: June 2024

International Olympic Committee news

Ahead of World Refugee Day celebrated on 20 June, the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) reiterates its commitment to building a global movement which supports refugees and displaced people to thrive through sport – whether through the IOC Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games or through its programmes at community level.

In its recently published Annual Report, the ORF highlights its many areas of work which, by the end of 2023 had resulted in almost 400,000 young people affected by displacement having access to safe sport.

Recent data from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, estimates that there are now more than 120 million people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict or a threat to their safety. As the crisis continues to grow, there is growing urgency for displaced people to be active members of their host communities, and sport has an increasingly important role to play in meeting this need.

Delivering innovative solutions

The Foundation delivers context-based innovative solutions through programmes, advocacy and partnerships. Key highlights in 2023 included:

coaches from Kampala to Paris welcoming more than 34,000 young people affected by displacement into supportive sessions;69 safe sport spaces created or refurbished for improved access to sport for young people affected by displacement;a total of 63 athletes supported through Olympic Solidarity scholarships as part of the Refugee Athlete Support programme, the largest ever number of refugee athletes supported through the programme;a Refugee Team competing for the first time at continental Games at the European Games, composed of four athletes in taekwondo and boxing;new programmes launched in the vastly different displacement settings of Burkina Faso, Uganda and Jordan, aimed at supporting more than 40,000 children and young people to access safe sport through locally relevant activities.

The impact of collective efforts

By working collectively with partners and demonstrating why sport should be embedded as a core component of refugee and displacement responses, the ORF has worked to ensure that the benefits of sport continue to be scaled. In December last year, the ORF worked through the Sport for Refugees Coalition – which it co-convenes with UNHCR and the Scort Foundation – to mobilise more than 140 organisations to commit to the Multi-stakeholder Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection at the Global Refugee Forum. The pledge, which was presented by IOC President Thomas Bach before heads of state, ambassadors, refugees and the wider humanitarian sector, resulted in the commitment of more than USD 50 million to benefit over 825,000 displaced people.

Following pilots taking place throughout 2023, at the end of last year the ORF also formalised a new partnership with the IFRC PS Centre, which promises to deliver and scale Sport Coach + with the aim of reaching 2,500 sports coaches in Ukraine and surrounding countries. Through this collaborative work, coaches likely to come in contact with young people affected by the Ukrainian displacement crisis will be equipped with the skills to more effectively support young players who may have experienced trauma as a result of their experiences.

36 athletes to compete in Paris as part of the Refugee Olympic Team

This year, faced with an unprecedented, and ever-growing displacement crisis, the ORF is preparing for the third IOC Refugee Olympic Team to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The 36 athletes due to compete will represent the more than 100 million displaced people around the world, and will be backed by the flagship “1 in 100 million” digital campaign, which is aiming to build a fanbase for the team while drawing attention to the scale of the global crisis. This will be the largest ever team to compete at the Olympic Games, and for the first time the team is being managed by the ORF. The 36 athletes are hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and will be competing across 12 sports.

Speaking at the time of the announcement to all the team members, who had joined the meeting virtually, IOC President Thomas Bach said: “With your participation in the Olympic Games, you will demonstrate the human potential of resilience and excellence. This will send a message of hope to the more than 100 million displaced people around the world. At the same time, you will make billions of people around the world aware of the magnitude of the refugee crisis. Therefore, I encourage everyone, around the world, to join us in cheering for you – the IOC Refugee Olympic Team.”

Beyond the Games

Beyond the Olympic Games, in 2024 the Olympic Refuge Foundation is focused on delivering on the final year of its strategic plan and Recommendation 11 of Olympic Agenda 2020+5. In addition to engaging 200,000 young people through programmes, the ORF is using evidence on the benefits of sport in contexts of displacement to influence and embed sport in local and national systems, policy and practice. It is through this collective and systemic work that the ORF can work at scale, ensuring that young people affected by displacement thrive through sport.

CBRE

DALLAS, June 26, 2024 /3BL/ – CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE) announced expanded capabilities to provide comprehensive climate risk data for property investors and occupiers to accelerate their sustainability planning, reporting and decision making.

The company has entered into an agreement with Climate X, a risk analysis platform, to enable CBRE’s sustainability specialists to translate climate risk scenarios and hazards into easy-to-understand information that helps clients evaluate locations and pinpoint potential threats from climate risks.

“Companies are operating in a world of increasing climate risks while also trying to advance their efforts to reduce emissions across their portfolios. This challenge will become more daunting as global temperatures continue to rise. We are simplifying complexity for our clients through a transparent, end-to-end approach to climate risk assessments and decarbonization strategies at a global and asset level,” said Rob Bernard, CBRE’s chief sustainability officer.

Climate X’s platform facilitates the calculation of risk from local hazards, such as coastal flooding, drought, extreme heat, landslides, storms and wildfires. It also enables CBRE to help clients to calculate CapEx requirements and return on investment for retrofits and acquisitions that increase adaptation and resilience.

“Climate change is redefining how and where companies operate. With Climate X’s cutting-edge data analytics, CBRE is poised to deliver best-in-class solutions that empower clients to take an ROI-driven approach to mitigate climate impacts across every stage of the asset lifecycle,” said Lukky Ahmed, CEO & Co-Founder at Climate X.

As CBRE seeks to simplify the complexity of sustainability, the company will continue to expand its focus on climate risk and its potential impact on clients’ portfolios locally and globally.

About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBRE), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Dallas, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (based on 2022 revenue). The company has more than 115,000 employees (excluding Turner & Townsend employees) serving clients in more than 100 countries. CBRE serves a diverse range of clients with an integrated suite of services, including facilities, transaction and project management; property management; investment management; appraisal and valuation; property leasing; strategic consulting; property sales; mortgage services and development services. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com. We routinely post important information on our website, including corporate and investor presentations and financial information. We intend to use our website as a means of disclosing material, non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Such disclosures will be included in the Investor Relations section of our website at https://ir.cbre.com. Accordingly, investors should monitor such portion of our website, in addition to following our press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and public conference calls and webcasts.

Media Contact
Sara Johnston
Director, Mktg & Comm

Welcome to the People Positive Palm (P3) Project Ethical Recruitment Training video, presented by the Consumer Goods Forum’s Human Rights Coalition in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA).

Watch the video

In this video, stakeholders from the P3 Project discuss their commitment to eradicating forced labour in the Malaysian palm oil supply chain through ethical recruitment practices. Representatives underscore the coalition’s dedication to upholding workers’ rights across the entire value chain. Insights from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shed light on the challenges faced by migrant workers and stress the importance of fair recruitment to mitigate risks of exploitation. They highlight the regular training workshops conducted in Malaysia and Indonesia, aimed at aligning practices with international standards.

The video features interviews with recruiters who have participated in the P3 Project’s ethical recruitment training sessions. Recruiters share their perspectives on the benefits of ethical practices and emphasise the significance of compliance in their operations. Closing remarks underscore the comprehensive approach of the P3 Project, uniting stakeholders to reform recruitment norms and ensure migrant workers are treated fairly and with dignity from recruitment onwards.

Key Highlights:

The P3 Project aims to combat forced labour in the Malaysian palm oil sector through collaborative efforts.Regular ethical recruitment training workshops are conducted in Malaysia and Indonesia to promote compliance with international standards.Interviews with recruiters provide firsthand insights into the impact of ethical recruitment practices on their operations.The project encourages a holistic approach involving stakeholders across the palm oil supply chain to ensure sustainable and ethical labour practices.

Watch the video to gain deeper insights into how ethical recruitment practices are shaping a sustainable future for the Malaysian palm oil industry. Join us in supporting the People Positive Palm Project and collaborating to transform labour practices in the palm oil sector. For more information, visit tcgfsocial.com or email us.

Applications are now open for AllianceBernstein’s returnship program, ReInvest. ReInvest is a six-month program designed as an on-ramp for Nashville or New York-based professionals who have taken a career break and are looking to re-enter the workforce. During the program, participants will work on developing their skills, attend development workshops and receive mentorship from firm leaders.

To learn more and apply for the 2024 ReInvest Program please visit: https://www.alliancebernstein.com/corporate/en/careers/reinvest-program.html

AllianceBernstein

AllianceBernstein (AB) is a leading global investment management firm that offers diversified investment services to institutional investors, individuals, and private wealth clients in major world markets. We believe corporate responsibility, responsible investing and stewardship are intertwined. To be effective stewards of our clients’ assets, we strive to invest responsibly—assessing, engaging on and integrating material issues, including environmental, social and governance (ESG), and climate change considerations in most of our actively managed strategies (approximately 70% of AB’s total assets under management as of March 31, 2024). We also strive to hold ourselves as a firm to similar practices that we ask of issues. Our stewardship practices, investment strategy and decision-making are guided by our purpose, mission and values.

Our purpose—pursue insight that unlocks opportunity—inspires our firm to act responsibly. While opportunity means something different to each of our stakeholders; it always means considering the unique goals of each stakeholder. AB’s mission is to help our clients define and achieve their investment goals, explicitly stating what we do to unlock opportunity for our clients. We became a signatory to the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) in 2011. This began our journey to formalize our approach to identifying responsible ways to unlock opportunities for our clients through integrating material ESG factors throughout most of our actively managed equity and fixed-income client accounts, funds and strategies. AB also engages issuers when it believes the engagement is in the best financial interest of its clients.

Because we are an active manager, our differentiated insights drive our ability to deliver alpha and design innovative investment solutions. Material ESG and climate issues are important elements in forming insights and in presenting potential risks and opportunities that can affect the performance of the companies and issuers that we invest in and the portfolios that we build.

Our values provide a framework for the behaviors and actions that deliver on our purpose and mission. Values align our actions. Each value emerges from the firm’s collective character—yet is also aspirational.

Invest in One Another means that we have a strong organizational culture where diversity is celebrated and mentorship is critical to our success. When we invest in one another, we empower our employees to reach their potential, so that they can help our clients realize theirs. This enables us to partner with clients to design and deliver improved investment outcomes.Strive for Distinctive Knowledge means that we collaboratively identify creative solutions to clients’ economic, ESG and climate- related investment challenges through our expertise in a wide range of investment disciplines, close collaboration among our investment experts and creative solutions.Speak with Courage and Conviction informs how we engage our AB colleagues and issuers. We seek to learn from other parts of our business to strengthen our own views. And we engage issuers for insight and action by sharing ideas and best practices.Act with Integrity—Always is the bedrock of our relationships and has specific meaning for our business. Unlike many other asset managers, we’re singularly focused on providing asset management and research to our clients. We don’t engage in activities that could be distracting, or create conflicts—such as investment banking, insurance writing, commercial banking or proprietary trading for our own account. We are unconflicted and fully accountable.

As of March 31, 2024, AB had $759B in assets under management, $528B of which were ESG-integrated. Additional information about AB may be found on our website, www.alliancebernstein.com.

Learn more about AB’s approach to responsibility here.

June 26, 2024 /3BL/ – True Impact, the sector’s leading social impact measurement platform, and the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP), the leading membership association working to improve the effectiveness of corporate social impact, have joined forces to launch a new guide designed to aid Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practitioners in effectively measuring their corporations’ social impact. This resource, titled “Measuring Corporate Social Impact: Recommendations for Better Partnerships and Reporting,” offers a structured four-step process that simplifies impact measurement and promotes meaningful results without burdening nonprofit partners. The guide can be found on both True Impact and ACCP’s websites.

ACCP and True Impact’s recommendations come from decades of collective experience working with companies and their CSR programs, as well as the results of a survey of corporate social impact practitioners from global and national companies.

Meeting the Demand for Accountability in Corporate Social Responsibility

As climate change, socio-economic disparity, and other societal challenges intensify, purpose-driven employees and socially minded consumers continue to demand greater accountability from corporations regarding their social impact. According to the survey, the need for impact measurement data is pressing, with significant interest from the C-suite (76%), the Sustainability/ESG Committee (66%), marketing and communications (64%), and the general employee population (34%).

Recognizing this demand, True Impact and ACCP have crafted this guide to help CSR practitioners initiate or refine their impact measurement strategies.

A Four-Step Process for Measuring Impact

The guide introduces the following four-step process that demystifies impact measurement, enabling practitioners to proceed with confidence:

1. Determine and Track Philanthropic Priorities: Identify and monitor key areas of philanthropic focus.

2. Set Effective Reporting Requirements: Establish clear reporting expectations for nonprofit partners.

3. Claim Your Impact (No More, No Less): Accurately measure and report the impact of your CSR initiatives.

4. Maximize Investments: Use insights from your results to enhance future social and business returns on investment.

Defining “Impact Measurement”

The toolkit addresses common misconceptions about impact measurement by clarifying the distinctions between inputs, outputs, and outcomes. Impact is defined as the way a CSR program improves lives or contributes to a better society. For example, a grant supporting workforce development can be broken down as follows:

Input: $10,000 donated to job placement programs for underprivileged communities.Output: Training provided to 50 underemployed individuals.Outcomes: 43 individuals secured new, better-paying jobs.

Focusing on outcomes is the only way CSR practitioners can ensure their efforts lead to tangible improvements in the communities they serve.

Why Measuring Impact Matters

ACCP and True Impact gleaned from the results of the survey a strong case for how measuring impact can help CSR programs:

Enhance the stature of their work within the corporation.Demonstrate a genuine commitment to social impact to employees.Provide proof of impact to executives and external stakeholders.Enable continuous evaluation and improvement of their initiatives.

Finding the Right Balance

The toolkit emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between not tracking impact and overburdening nonprofit partners. It encourages practical outcomes measurement as a reasonable middle ground, ensuring CSR initiatives are both impactful and manageable.

Overcoming Obstacles to Impact Measurement

The toolkit also addresses common challenges faced by CSR practitioners, such as limited resources, lack of support, and scattered data. By providing a clear, actionable framework, the toolkit empowers practitioners to overcome these obstacles and achieve meaningful impact measurement.

To download the report visit True Impact or ACCP’s dedicated resource pages.

About True Impact

True Impact is a certified B-corporation that helps Fortune 1000 companies and their nonprofit partners measure and maximize the social impact of their philanthropic efforts. Their CSR services combine social impact experts with a best-in-class impact measurement platform to empower nonprofits while providing critical insights for CSR and foundation teams. They’ve helped thousands of funders and nonprofits measure their impacts.

About ACCP

The Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP) is the preeminent membership organization advancing the practice of corporate social impact. ACCP increases the effectiveness of CSR & ESG professionals and their companies by sharing knowledge, fostering solutions, and cultivating inclusive and supportive peer communities. ACCP amplifies the voices of its practitioner network to elevate strategies that work, provide innovative solutions, and expand impact.