What you can do to help

  • Click here to sign the petition asking your Congressional representative to do what he/she can to support genocide-free investing.  Signing is quick and easy and sends an important message of support.
  • Add your group to the sign-on list for this supporting statement:
    We support efforts to pass legislation that will increase transparency and disclosure by financial firms regarding investments in companies that substantially contribute to genocide or crimes against humanity. We hope legislation will empower the vast majority of Americans, who do not want their hard-earned savings connected to egregious human rights abuses, to make informed decisions and to avoid such connections should they choose to do so.
    To sign-on, send an email to signon@investorsagainstgenocide.org with your group's name, signer's name and title, city and state.

Congressional hearing on investments tied to genocide

  • On November 30, 2010, IAG testified at the hearing of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade on Investments Tied to Genocide: Sudan Divestment and Beyond.
  • Click here to watch the video of the hearing and read all witnesses' testimony.
  • Click here for the IAG press release.
  • Click here for the written testimony of Eric Cohen, Chairperson of Investors Against Genocide, which includes:
    - The need for regulations to support genocide-free investing
    - Specific legislative recommendations for transparency and disclosure rules
    - A sign-on letter supporting legislation for improved transparency and disclosure rules
    - Questions and answers about the proposed transparency and disclosure rules
    - Summary and detail from KRC Research's results from their 2010 and 2007 studies 
  • Major messages from IAG's testimony
    • American investors are overwhelmingly opposed to having their hard-earned savings tied to genocide. Nonetheless, because most individual investors entrust their savings to mutual funds, millions of Americans are investing, unknowingly, inadvertently, and against their will, in companies funding genocide.
    • Mutual funds (and other funds in which Americans save) should have an extra level of due diligence and disclosure regarding investments tied to genocide and crimes against humanity if and when the U.S. has imposed sanctions related to human rights abuses that restrict American companies.. 
    • IAG proposed transparency and disclosure rules to empower investors to be able to choose to avoid connections to the most egregious human rights abuses.  
    • IAG's proposals would not require restricting investments connected to genocide and crimes against humanity, but would provide a simple disclosure and transparency framework to clearly provide material facts that investors need to make informed choices.

Background for the hearing

  • In December 2007, Congress unanimously passed the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act (SADA). The act followed a surge in public support for targeted divestment from Sudan due to the genocide and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. By the time SADA became law, 24 states (and now 30 states plus over 60 colleges and universities) had decided to divest from Sudan. The act authorized but did not mandate state and local divestment from companies doing business with the government of Sudan. SADA also provided a safe harbor for fiduciaries that choose to divest from Sudan. 
  • On June 22, 2010, the GAO released a follow up report on SADA and Sudan divestment.
  • The hearing will review how SADA has been utilized and consider recommendations for improvements. Drawing on the example of Sudan, the hearing will also examine the broader issue of financial institutions investing in companies that help to fund genocide or crimes against humanity, whether in Sudan or elsewhere in the world, now or in the future. 
  • The example of Sudan shows the broad base of public concern about this topic. A recent public opinion survey shows 88% of Americans are opposed to being financially connected to genocide.
  • In September 2008, genocide-free investing was the subject of a briefing for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.  Read about the briefing here.