How Responsible Investors should respond to the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis

Produced by the PRI, How Responsible Investors should respond to the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis explores impacts of current pandemic and the global response to it, particularly how long-term stewards of capital, investors can and should act now to help reduce harmful impacts.

An immediate, robust response to the COVID-19 crisis is needed across the global economy. Longer-term, the crisis raises broader questions on how our financial system is structured to respond to such threats.

Immediate investors' actions include:

• Action 1: Engage companies that are failing in their crisis management
• Action 2: Engage where other harm is being hidden behind, or worsened by, the crisis
• Action 3: Deprioritise engagement on other topics
• Action 4: Publicly support an economy-wide response
• Action 5: Participate in virtual AGMs
• Action 6: Be receptive to requests for financial support
• Action 7: Maintain a long-term focus in investment decision making

Moreover, the PRI will work with signatories to further develop thinking on what the COVID-19 crisis means for investors. PRI is establishing two signatory participation groups to coordinate and develop investor responses, focusing on:

• short-term responses, and ensuring responsible ESG approaches remain at the forefront of investor activities;
• a future economic recovery phase, considering the how the financial system should function to ensure sustainable outcomes.