Update on UBC and UBCIM Responsible Investing Commitments 

UBC remains on track to meet the goals set out in its 2020 Responsible Investing Strategy and is committed to advancing responsible investing practices. The University continues to integrate environmental, social, and governance factors into our investment approach, making progress in understanding and managing climate-related risks, building on foundational work underway since 2014. Working with UBC Investment Management (UBCIM), UBC continues to broaden its focus beyond climate-related risks, further strengthening its approach to social risk factors, including human rights, in a manner consistent with the University’s legal and fiduciary duties, in alignment with UBC’s Statement on Responsible Investing. 

Formed in late 2024, UBC’s Responsible Investing Working Group oversees the development of the social risk framework, and includes representatives from the UBC Board of Governors, senior UBC Administration officials, and the UBCIM Board, ensuring comprehensive oversight and alignment with UBC’s values and objectives. Working Group representatives have also met with interested faculty and student groups to understand their concerns, helping to inform the work to date. 

Work informed by leading experts 

On UBC’s behalf, UBCIM engaged SHARE (the Shareholder Association for Research and Education), a leading consulting firm in the area of responsible investing, to support the development of the social risk (including human rights) framework. This collaboration brings specialized knowledge and best practices of institutional investing to ensure the framework is rigorous, practical, and flexible to respond to a broad range of social risks and risks arising from conflicts.  

Since April 2025, UBCIM and its external experts have developed two key deliverables recently reviewed by the Responsible Investing Working Group: 

• Educational primer on social risk: An educational primer was developed outlining how social risks emerge in institutional investment portfolios and how investors can identify and manage them. The primer was specifically commissioned for Canadian universities that manage relatively small capital pools and who employ a “manager of managers” approach to their investments — a fundamental consideration to understanding how most postsecondary institutions manage their endowments and pension plans. The primer serves as an educational resource for university stakeholders and a tool to assist the broader Canadian university sector in understanding and addressing social risk factors. View the primer 

• Social Risk (Including Human Rights) Framework: Building on the primer’s guidance,  a comprehensive Social Risk Framework was developed to provides a broad structure for managing a variety of social risks that may occur within a diversified portfolio and across different asset classes, reflecting the complexity of modern institutional portfolios and our evolving world. The Framework is organized around four key pillars: Governance, Risk Management, Investment Manager Accountability, and Collaboration and Leadership. Each pillar contains specific actions that will be integrated into the refresh of UBCIM’s broader Responsible Investing Strategy in 2026. 

Next steps   

UBC remains committed to transparency, engagement, and responsible stewardship as this important work continues. In partnership with external experts and under the oversight of the Responsible Investing Working Group, UBC, through UBCIM will prioritize and integrate actions from the Social Risk Framework into UBCIM’s refreshed Responsible Investing Strategy roadmap. This work will be supported by dedicated senior leadership within UBCIM, strengthening the capacity needed to deliver on UBC’s responsible investing objectives.  

Learn more about UBC’s Responsible Investing 

UBC Investment Management (UBCIM) manages the University’s endowment and pension assets through a diversified, global portfolio and a “manager of managers” investment model. As such, UBCIM does not directly select or control individual securities or the day-to-day operations of underlying companies. The Social Risk (including Human Rights) Framework is designed to strengthen oversight, risk identification, engagement, and accountability through UBCIM’s external investment managers, consistent with the University’s legal and fiduciary obligations. It does not replace the role of governments, regulators, or courts, nor does it provide for UBC to direct corporate conduct or make investment decisions based solely on social or political considerations. Investment decisions will continue to be guided by UBCIM’s fiduciary duty to act in the best long-term financial interests of the University and its beneficiaries, while integrating material environmental, social, and governance risks as part of prudent portfolio management.