UNESCO, the Church of England Pensions Board, Greenbank, IUCN, and WWF call on investors to adhere to industry commitments and ensure World Heritage Site protection.
UNESCO and its partners recently released a report which shows the extent to which extractive industries are encroaching upon UNESCO WHSs.
The report, “Extractive Activities in UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Commitments, Risks and Investment Implications”, offers the most comprehensive analysis to date on the presence and proximity of areas licenced for oil, gas, and mineral exploration and production in and around some of the world’s most treasured cultural and natural heritage sites.
Jointly released by UNESCO, the Church of England Pensions Board, Greenbank, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and WWF, the report also emphasises the critical role investors can play in assessing their risk exposure and influencing extractive companies’ practices. The data and analysis in the report help investors identify and manage the risks, aligning their investment decisions with global heritage protection commitments.
In addition, the report outlines several ways investors can identify, assess, and respond to risks arising from operations within and near UNESCO WHSs. These guidelines rely on UNESCO policy standards, focusing on how investors can integrate these standards into their own processes.
Click here to download the report.