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30 The Responsible Investor’s Guide to CommoditiesAPPENDIX 3.CONFERENCE REPORT: AGRI-INVESTING FOR THE LONG TERM– THE INVESTMENT CASE FOR RESPONSIBLE INVESTMENTS IN AGRICULTUREDATE: 17 JUNE 2011VENUE: CENTRE INTERNATIONAL DE CONFÉRENCES IN GENÈVA, SWITZERLANDHOSTED BY:• onValues Ltd.www.onvalues.ch• Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs www.eda.admin.ch• UN Global Compactwww.unglobalcompact.org• UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment www.unpri.orgTHIS REPORT WAS PREPARED BY:• David Imbert and Ivo Knoepfel, onValues Ltd.• Published on 2 August 2011a) IntroductionThis report summarises the outcomesof the conference “Agriinvestingfor the long term: Theinvestment case for responsibleinvestments in agriculture” heldon June 17, 2011 at the CentreInternational de Conférences inGenèva, Switzerland. The meetingwas hosted by onValues Ltd., withsupport from the Swiss Federal Departmentof Foreign Affairs, the UNGlobal Compact, and the UN-backedPrinciples for Responsible Investment(PRI) and was part of a multiyearresearch project on responsibleinvestment in commodities.The distinguishing features of themeeting included:• A focus on environmental, socialand governance (ESG) issues andtheir implications for investmentrisk and return• Coverage of different types ofinvestments providing exposureto agriculture, including soft commodities,farmland, and listedequities.The meeting gathered professionalsfrom the agricultural investmentand responsible investmentcommunities to discuss the uniquechallenges and opportunities inthe agricultural sector. By design,the meeting was led by asset owners(mainly pension funds), who,as ultimate decision makers inthe allocation of capital can sendimportant signals to the investmentcommunity and the economy atlarge. The meeting, however, alsoincluded asset managers, researchersand representatives from thepublic sector, who play an importantrole in implementing andinforming investment decisions andsetting policy. The share of differenttypes of conference participants isshown below.The day was conducted underChatham House Rule, giving participantsa protected space to candidlyassess challenges and realities. Thepublication of this meeting report,however, allows us to reach a wideraudience, including the PRI signatorycommunity 20 . While this reportcovers in detail what was discussedat the meeting, a more completereport on the entire commoditiesspectrum will follow in September2011, providing a standalone referencefor responsible investment incommodities 21 .20. 915 institutions with approximately $25 trillion inassets under management21. All reports will be available at www.onvalues.ch