16 June 2008
Two 3iG members involved in Project Kaleidescope: Projects final report was released in May 2008

The project started in 2002 and an interim report was issue in 2005. It included interaction, consultation and meetings with workers and factory owners, some non-governmental organizations, two universities and Chinese officials. The Missionary Oblates and the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefits for the United Methodist Church were directly involved in this project and worked in collaboration with the other participants and members of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility.

Project Kaleidoscope Working Group released its final report on a multi-year collaborative project designed to promote sustained compliance with labor standards in supplier factories. The report and press release are posted on the websites of the Missionary Oblates and the General Board: www.omiusajpic.org and http://www.gbophb.org/.

READ REPORT (PDF file)

The project was piloted at 10 factories in southern China that produce goods for McDonald’s and Disney licensees. The project developed and successfully tested an alternative systems-based approach.

Key outcomes include:

1. The systems-based approach (described in the report) has improved factory systems for communicating with workers and receiving feedback.
2. Between 78% and nearly 100% of workers surveyed said conditions in their factories had improved since the implementation of the project.
3. Endemic issues like excessive working hours and wage payments inconsistent with law were found in far fewer factories at the end of the project.
4. Factory managers see value in actively managing the compliance process and perceive its advantages for their business interests, e.g., reduced worker turnover, increased productivity, enhanced competitiveness.

The report highlights the importance of getting all stakeholders involved in improving working conditions— workers, managers, agencies, brands, investors and community-based organizations. ICCR members will encourage other companies to apply the learnings from this project to their supply chains.

The Project Kaleidoscope Working Group consisted of As You Sow Foundation; the Center for Reflection, Education and Action (CREA); the Connecticut State Treasurer's Office (fiduciary for the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds); Domini Social Investments LLC, the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church; and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, ICCR, The Walt Disney Company and McDonald’s Corporation.

Read Project Kaleidoscope Report (PDF file)

30 November 2007
3iG to Fosters Multi-sector Dialogue on Faith Consistent Investing
at Paris Workshops
3iG sponsored a groundbreaking networking opportunity for Faith Consistent Investments (FCI) funds and religious investors by sponsoring five workshops on Faith Consistent Investments at the TBLI conference in Paris November 15–16, 2007.

While the two sectors share common interests in social and ethical investments, these key groups often are not well connected or well known to each other. The goal of 3iG’s November workshops was to “foster a multi-faith and multi-sector dialogue on the implication of FCIs for sustainability-related investments,” according to Joost Douma, 3iG General Secretary.

Key questions explored by the workshops include:

• Can FCI play a major role in the drive for innovation and market
  solutions to sustainability?
• What distinguishes religious investors for participating in environmentally
  and socially responsible investments, and where are the opportunities?
• What specific instruments and vehicles can the finance industry offer
  to maximize opportunities for religious investors?
• How can the three sectors collaborate to unlock the value of FCIs
  for sustainability investments?

The workshops were facilitated by major international figures in the FCI fund and religious investment communities.

3iG invited all those interested in sustainability-related investments to join in this unique opportunity to network and consider the nature of FCI and its potential for investments in sustainable development - religious authorities, investors, professional fund managers, and NGO representatives - to stimulate this cross-sector, multi-faith dialogue.

For more detailed information, a downloadable version of the workshop brochure (Updated 10 Oct. 2007 3.3 MB PDF) is available. For additional questions, please contact Joost Douma at 3iG, +31 6 4620 6604 or info@3iGnet.org.

9 August 2007
ABP joints the Forest Fund of the Church of Sweden and Norway
NETHERLANDS – ABP, Europe largest pension fund, has allocated US$60m to the Global Solidarity Forest Fund (GSFF) of the Diocese of Västerås, Church of Sweden and Norway. In May this year, Global Pensions exclusively revealed the pension giant was set to invest in timberland.

The $100m GSFF portfolio is focused on sub-Saharan Africa and currently has five established investments in Mozambique and Angola, carrying out reforestation on degraded lands and responsibly managing natural forests.

ABP said: "Investing in timberland is attractive for pension funds as it provides stable and potentially high returns. The return on these forest investments in Mozambique are attained in a sustainable manner. All projects will be FSC-certified and GSFF has committed itself to the ten universal principles of the Global Compact."

It added that GSFF's investments would reforest and restore about 1.1m acres of forests.

Thijs Steger, a spokesman for ABP, said the organisation planned more invest in timberland in the future. Steger said: "Our ambition is to expand these kinds of investments and it will depend on the opportunities."

25-26 April 2007
3iG Members to Gather In Washington, D.C. for
Spring Roundtable and Seminars
3iG invites members to its spring roundtable and seminars 25-26 April 2007 in Washington, D.C.

This gathering represents the first of 3iG's planned annual seminars followed by roundtables to afford members both the opportunity to identify potential investments and a forum for the forging of concrete commitments to selected projects. To accommodate members' schedules, registration is for either one day or both days.

The seminar(s) on 25 April will focus on Faith Consistent Investing (FCI). Topics will include: FCI educational products and services; value assessment; FCI product market combinations; and shareholders activism. Feedback from participants on their organizations' guiding principles for FCI policies will also form part of the day's programming.

A morning roundtable on 26 April will provide updates on the Global Solidarity Forest Fund, current projects and policies of the United Methodists and presentations by major financial institutions introducing their micro-finance services.

The second seminar that afternoon will look at opportunities in the area of health, transport and sustainable business development. The goal of this day is to prepare a number of new investment opportunities for a new 3iG roundtable, which should take place during the 3iG annual conference in November 2007 in Paris.

For member registration or for information on how to become a 3iG member, please contact 3iG in Amsterdam at 31 6 4620 6604 or at info@3iGnet.org.

19 December 2006
ECLOF Becomes Newest 3IG Member
The Ecumenical Church Loan Fund (ECLOF), based in Geneva, Switzerland, joined 3iG December 19, 2006. The mission of this non-profit ecumenical organization "is to provide fair credit for human development and sustainable communities, in witness to the Christian faith" and actively finances the construction of churches, schools and other community and grassroots development projects. ECLOF will announce its appointment to the 3iG Board of Directors in 2007.

For more information on ECLOF, please view www.eclof.org

9-10 November 2006
3iG/Brooklyn Bridge Workshops in Paris A Great Success
The 3iG/Brooklyn Bridge Conference on Faith-Consistent Investing, sponsored by TBLI Europe, was held 9-10 November at the Palais Brongniart in Paris. Participants included professionals from the investment and business community: commercial banks, investment banks, asset managers, venture capitalists, insurers, regulators, consultants, project developers, and private equity investors.

The two-day program featured the following workshops and speakers:

1. Faith Consistent Investment (FCI) (moderator: Michiel Hardon)
Four scholars, renowned in the realm of faith as well as investment, highlight the intersection between faith consistent investment and their various beliefs.

Presenters:

• Prof. Dr. Alberto Rossetti  (Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana, Italy)
• Prof. Dr. Mohammad Nejatullah Siddiqi  (former President, International Association for Islamic Economics, India), presented by Dr. S. Nazim Ali, Director, Islamic Finance Project, Harvard Law School – ILSP, USA
• Dr. Meir Tamari  (former Chief Economist of The Office of the Governor at the Bank of Israel, Israel)
• Mr. ASHIZU and Mr. IWAHASHI  (Association of Shinto-shrines, Japan)

2. New investments for the Faiths (moderator: Father Seamus Finn)
This workshop highlighted  the real issues financial advisors and representatives of the Faiths face on a daily basis in considering new investment policies.

Presenters:

• Rev. Jeremy Crocker  (Church of England)
• Harald Glomdal  (Opplysningsvesenets Fond - Church of Norway)
• Mark Campanale  (Advisory Board 3iG, UK)
• Xavier de Bayser   (I.DE.A.M, President, France)
• John Wilson  (Christian Brothers Investment Services, USA)

3. Real estate: asset or liability? (moderator: Giulio Franzinetti)
This workshop offered management models for the financial and operational administration of real estate property (historical sites, facilities and portfolios) and presented models for running social housing projects and religious tourist sites in a respectful and sustainable way.

Presenters:

• Patrick Kanters (Managing Director Real Estate of ABP Investments, Netherlands)
• Ronald Wuijster (Head of Research, ABP Investments, Netherlands)
• Yahya Yahe Pallavicini  (Chairman of the Education Committee of The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization –ISESCO, Italy)

4. Faith Consistent Investments: best practices
(moderator: Rabbi Mark Goldsmith)
Successful examples of FCIs were highlighted in this presentation.

Presenters:

• Margaret Rainey  (Diocese of Vasteras, Church of Sweden)
• Lauren Compere  (Boston Common Asset Management, USA)
• Dr. Ir. Andrew Musters  (Private Equity, Robeco, Netherlands)
• Birgit Weinbrenner  (Oikocredit, Netherlands)
• Fran Coopersmith  (Asset strategy consultants, USA)

24 October 2006
3iG participates in Assembly of Religions for Peace in Kyoto
3iG was invited to participate as an observer in the VIII Assembly of the World Conference of Religions for Peace August 26–29 in Kyoto, Japan. 3iG Board member Michiel Hardon represented 3iG, and the meeting afforded him the opportunity to meet many religious leaders and to inform them about the work of 3iG. Michiel left the meeting with the clear impression that interest in faith consistent investing is increasing within the various faith communities.

July 2006
3iG makes a presentation to the Arabic Financial Forum (AFF) in London
By invitation of the London based consultancy firm MEC and hosted by the international law firm Clifford Chance, 3iG was offered the opportunity to present its mission and goals to a large gathering of Arabic investors and bankers from the Middle East in July 2006.

June 2006
3iG is showcased during the Brooklyn Bridge conference in Bangkok
The TBLI Group sponsored 3iG to introduce the organization during its
conference in Bangkok. Contacts were made with a variety of groups, ranging
from representatives of the Buddhist traditions of Mahayana and Theravada,
to managers of sustainable projects in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines,
Singapore and China. With the help of local Buddhist groups of the Mahayana
and Theravada tradition, the new 3iG brochure was printed in Bangkok.

May 2006
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation makes donation to 3iG
The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation has granted 3iG a donation of $ 150,000 for 2006. The grant has been given for the renewal of the 3iG website and the development of its first products and services to increase and enhance membership of faith organizations.

April 2006
Ford Foundation grant awarded to support 3iG
The Ford Foundation has awarded 3iG a grant of $ 150,000 for 2006 and 2007. The grant was awarded to develop 3iG into an independent, professional entity, to initiate activities that facilitate dialogue and cooperation by faith communities in sustainable development, and to establish strategic partnerships with relevant parties (NGOs, financial institutions, advisors, public authorities and related groups) in the realm of socially responsible investment (SRI).

30 March 2006
Muslims, Jews, Christians and Buddhists gather in Rome for a momentous interfaith dialogue in search of peace and justice through responsible investment
More than twenty representatives of faith groups from several continents gathered in Rome March 29 and 30, 2006 under the banner of the International Interfaith Investment Group (3iG) to promote responsible investment through inter-faith dialogue and co-operation. To celebrate the gathering, representatives attending a dinner Tuesday evening sponsored by Banca Intesa.

Common ground
Chief Rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni welcomed the representatives from the World Council of Churches, the Churches of England, Sweden and Norway, orders of the Roman Catholic Church, various Jewish representatives, representatives of Western Buddhist groups, and the first Muslim organisation to join 3iG, Italian CO.RE.IS. (Islamic Religious Community) to the Central Synagogue of Rome for a plenary session.

Members of the World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace, Rabbi Daniel Sperber of Jerusalem and Shaykh Abd al-Wahid Pallavicini from Milan, together with Washington based Father Seamus Finn, OMI of the Roman Catholic church shared the recommendation to go “beyond the common ground and above the mainstream” in the search for investments in accord with each faith’s values and beliefs.

Secretary General Joost Douma said:“3iG is showing how faith groups of all creeds can work together toward responsible social investment and in the process do good based on our shared concerns for the planet and all its peoples.”

The next gathering will be in Paris in November when progress will be reviewed on exciting initiatives being taken by the Executive Committee of 3iG and its Assembly of Members.

From left to right: Father Seamus Finn, Shaykh Abd al-Wahid Pallavicini from Milan, together with Rabbi Daniel Sperber of Rome and Yahya Pallavicini, Vice President of Comunità Religiosa Islamica Italiana, stand together outside the Central Synagogue in Rome

1 January 2006
3iG appoints Joost Douma as first secretary general
Joost Douma joins 3iG with an academic background in economic history and philosophy from the Universities of Utrecht and Amsterdam. During his studies he worked simultaneously in a psychiatric ward for children at the university clinic.

His professional career has been characterized by broad international experience in project and enterprise development from conceptualization to execution in diverse fields: social, cultural, economic and scientific. He has worked in Mexico, Turkey, Germany, USA and Ireland, and has lectured worldwide on vocational training, lifelong learning, business development and public understanding of science and technology. Joost Douma conceived, founded and developed with the Italian architect Renzo Piano, the first national science center for the Netherlands, Nemo. He also helped establish ECSITE, a European collaborative of 150 science centers and museums.

Before becoming Secretary General of 3iG, Joost Douma was project manager for an EU program for regional business development. He created new product market combinations with small- and medium-sized enterprises with a focus on innovation and clean tech; and initiated the development of a residential economy as part of an integrated eco-system approach in the delta region (Zeeland) of the Netherlands.

30 December 2005
3iG is established as an independent foundation
On December 30, 2005, 3iG was established as an independent foundation. It was listed officially in the records of the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam as a non-profit, multi-faith philanthropic foundation located in Amsterdam. 3iG was launched as a distinct organization with its own Board on April 11, 2005.

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