The Social Investment Organization has launched the Fund for Action on Investment Responsibility, a charitable fund enabling donors to support research and education into public policy and SRI.

The fund-to be known as FAIR-is a new initiative of Tides Canada Foundation and the Social Investment Organization.  Its mandate is to advance research and education on public policy to encourage investment in sustainable and socially responsible activities.

FAIR was launched at the SIO's annual general meeting in Toronto, November 27.

"FAIR will encourage research and education today into the broad policy directions that will provide the legal and regulatory solutions of tomorrow,"said SIO Executive Director Eugene Ellmen, in launching the fund.

He explained that FAIR will not conduct lobbying or advocacy campaigns with governments or regulatory bodies.  Advocacy will remain the responsibility of SIO, but FAIR will generate the long-range directions that will guide future policy development.

Ellmen said that Canada needs a debate to encourage the federal and provincial governments, securities regulators and professional bodies to consider new policies that will encourage more sustainable and socially responsible investments by the capital markets.

"FAIR aims to kick off a debate on appropriate public policy establishing the ground rules for how corporations raise money on the capital markets, how they inform investors about social and environmental activities, how pension and mutual funds contribute to global solutions, how tax rules can be changed to encourage investment in sustainable industries, how accounting guidelines can encourage greater transparency, and how public infrastructure can be made greener."

Ellmen said that the fund has just been launched, so no projects are currently underway, but that he hopes the fund to be fully operational by early 2009.

For more information on FAIR or to make a donation, visit http://socialinvestment.ca/fair.htm

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