Heartland Initiative

Advancing Human Rights in Investment

WHO WE ARE

Heartland Initiative is dedicated to transforming how investors advance human rights in an increasingly turbulent world. We drive systemic change through peer learning and collaboration among investors, civil society organizations, and policymakers. Heartland is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization headquartered in the United States.

WHAT WE DO

Heartland supports investors in managing the most severe and systemic risks in their portfolios while addressing the greatest threats to rights holders around the world. Our team of experts provides tailored learning services to institutional investors in North America, Europe, and Australasia with more than $500 billion in assets under management and partners with investors representing an additional $7 trillion.

OUR WORK

To advance human rights in investment, Heartland focuses on three integrated workstreams.

01

Transform

We provide institutional investors with tailored learning services to help transform their policies, practices, and cultures.

02

Integrate

We work with civil society organizations to ensure investor strategies integrate the perspectives of impacted people and communities.

03

Cocreate

We connect investors, civil society organizations, policymakers, and companies to create enabling environments for human rights in business.

Recent Projects

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The Saliency Materiality Nexus

Corporate proximity to human rights harms can create financial costs for companies, leading to myriad risks for their shareholders. The intersection of these risks, referred to as the “saliency-materiality nexus,” can exist in any operating context, but human rights risks to people most often translate into financial impacts for companies and shareholders in conflict-affected and high-risk areas (CAHRA)...

Russian Business Advisory Statement

Heartland Initiative, working with investors and civil society partners, advocated and provided technical support for the U.S. Government’s Russia Business Advisory concerning the salient human rights and financial material risks associated with business activities in Russia and Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine...

Investor Pilot Project on Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas​​

In October 2023, Heartland Initiative, PeaceNexus, and the Investor Alliance for Human Rights launched a pilot project to support a coalition of more than 50 investors in collaboratively engaging renewable energy and technology companies on emerging policy, practice, and governance related to activities in conflict-affected and high-risk areas....

Surveillance Technologies

In March 2022, Heartland, in partnership with Access Now, the Business & Human Rights Resource, and with support from Agentura.ru, Gulf Centre for Human Rights, Internet Freedom Foundation, Paradigm Initiative, and R3D, published “Navigating the surveillance technology ecosystem: A human rights due diligence guide for investors.” Heartland and its partners continue to build capacity among and tools...

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